Descripción del proyecto
Impulso de la eficiencia futura de las celdas fotovoltaicas con materiales de baja dimensión
Los semiconductores unidimensionales (1D) son materiales absorbentes con potencial para su uso en celdas fotovoltaicas, gracias a su capacidad excepcional de mostrar excelentes propiedades eléctricas en capas muy finas cuando están correctamente orientadas. El proyecto SENSATE, financiado con fondos europeos, desarrollará una amplia gama de semiconductores 1D de banda ancha, como el calcogenuro, el haluro y los compuestos mixtos de calcogenuro y haluro. Se espera que estos materiales permitan un cambio ajustable en sus propiedades ópticas que garantice una transparencia óptica superior al 50 %. Su uso también mejorará la eficiencia de conversión total de las celdas fotovoltaicas, hasta lograr eficiencias de más del 20 %. Si tiene éxito, SENSATE tendrá una repercusión sin precedentes en nuestra percepción de la energía de las celdas fotovoltaicas, al promover aplicaciones que actualmente se consideran marginales, como los dispositivos (semi)transparentes y de color para tecnologías fotovoltaicas y electrónicas integradas en edificios.
Objetivo
SENSATE proposes ground breaking ideas and concepts combining very innovative low dimensional thin film materials and highly asymmetric selective contacts with dipoles, for the development of non-intrusive and universal solar energy harvester. Materials, processes and devices design innovations will be combined in a straightforward manner, in order to develop next generation of cost-efficient and highly-stable/optically-tuneable photovoltaic (PV) devices.
For achieving this, SENSATE proposes exploiting for the first time the full optical and electrical potential of one-dimensional (1D) thin film wide bandgap materials, including chalcogenide, halide and mixed chalcogenide/halide compounds. The use of 1D semiconductors as PV absorbers will represent a breakthrough thanks to their unique capability to exhibit excellent electrical properties in very thin layers when correctly oriented, keeping at the same time tuneable optical properties to ensure good transparency (AT > 50%), and very competitive efficiencies (>20%). A wide range of wide bandgap 1D semiconductors will be developed (Eg between 1.50-2.70 eV), including strategies for their 1D texturing using annealing at high pressure and under magnetic fields.
This will be combined with disruptive selective asymmetric contacts based on electron and hole transport metal oxide layers, enhanced with superficial organic and inorganic dipoles, to develop a ubiquitous solar harvester with customized transparency/efficiency. If succeed, SENSATE will have an unprecedented impact in our perception of PV energy, opening the possibility to applications that nowadays are considered marginal. Transparent, semi-transparent and coloured devices for advanced BIPV applications and electronics, as well as top cells for very high efficiency and low cost tandem/multi-junction devices will benefit from this technology, setting the basis required for a massive PV implementation and contributing to change our energy consumption model.
Ámbito científico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energy
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryinorganic compounds
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssemiconductivity
- engineering and technologycivil engineeringarchitecture engineeringsustainable architecturesustainable building
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantInstitución de acogida
08034 Barcelona
España