Project description
Inverse design approach to creating high-performance materials for solar energy applications
Progress in sustainable energy technologies largely relies on the discovery of new earth-abundant materials with an unprecedented ability to conduct ions, catalyse reactions and transport photogenerated carriers. The EU-funded IDOL project will reverse the traditional material design process to discover and create materials that possess excellent optoelectronic properties and band gaps exceeding 1.5 eV. Initially, theoretical and experimental work will focus on phosphosulfides and will later extend to other material types. Phosphosulfides with the desired properties will be integrated into actual photovoltaic devices.
Objective
Progress in sustainable energy technology relies on the discovery of new earth-abundant materials with unprecedented ability to conduct ions, catalyze reactions, transport photogenerated carriers, etc. The main scientific question is how to find the materials with exactly the desired functionality from the huge pool of all possible materials (more than 10^12).
In IDOL, we will attempt to answer the long-standing question of inverse materials design. Our targeted functionality is high optoelectronic quality (i.e. long photocarrier lifetimes, high mobilities, and high absorption coefficient) in an earth-abundant semiconductor with band gap above 1.5 eV. This will be a breakthrough in three areas key to a sustainable energy future: multijunction photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, and solar fuels.
The IDOL approach is a combination of experimental and computational research, focusing on the most device-relevant material form: thin films. Initially, we will restrict our search to the intriguing and still highly underexplored family of phosphosulfides (PSs). Later, we will extend our insights to other chemistries. From my preliminary investigation, many PSs should exhibit high mobilities and appropriate band gaps.
We will break the inverse design problem into logically connected steps: from application-specific figures of merit, going back to defect properties, generic optoelectronic properties, structure, growth conditions, and composition. We will exploit a unique combinatorial deposition system to grow candidate materials and characterize them using high throughput facilities at our host. For properties not experimentally accessible, we will employ first-principles calculations. This hybrid dataset will be analyzed step-by-step by human intelligence and machine learning to formulate design criteria and generate new materials with the desired properties. The discovered PS with the highest figures of merit will be incorporated into an actual photovoltaic device.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy solar energy photovoltaic
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2021-STG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2800 KONGENS LYNGBY
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.