![]() |
||||||
RESEARCH AREAS ![]() ![]() The ANSER Center is a |
APPLICATIONS |
|||||
Current methods for solar energy conversion to electricity, fuel, and heat operate at remarkably low efficiency: 25% for expensive silicon solar cells in the laboratory (18% in commercial systems), 11% for inexpensive dye-sensitized solar cells, 2-5% for organic solar cells, less than 10% for thermoelectrics, and less than a few percent for bio-inspired solar fuel production. The ANSER Center is organized around four basic research thrusts, each dealing with a solar energy conversion chain culminating in a specific end use and application: Bio-inspired Molecular Materials for Solar FuelsANSER will develop new nanoscale molecular materials based on self-assembly and tailored environments as a means to efficiently collect photons, separate charge, and transport charge (or energy) to catalysts for water splitting to produce clean hydrogen using multi-electron metal redox catalysts. Interface Science of Organic PhotovoltaicsANSER will address nanoscopic interfacial issues underlying organic photovoltaic cell performance—controlling band offsets between transparent conducting electrodes and organics, addressing charge injection/extraction/recombination limitations at interfaces, and enhancing exciton dissociation and carrier mobility via electrode surface-anchored, self-assembled donor-acceptor arrays. Nanostructured Architectures for Photovoltaic & Photochemical Energy ConversionANSER will investigate dye-sensitized solar cells with the goal to create ordered, interdigitated architectures with ultra-thin layers to reduce electron transport distances and to suppress loss mechanisms. A related focus is on understanding and optimizing the dynamics and kinetics of electron transfer and transport at heterojunctions.
April 2010 |
||||||
|
||||||










