Project description
A flexible future for solar power
The future of wearable tech and foldable phones and other devices is about to become a lot more sustainable, thanks to flexible solar panels. Currently, however, designs rely on brittle, costly indium–tin oxide (ITO). With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the FTOSC project will develop second-generation ITO-free flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) with superior electrical, optical, and mechanical performance. These new electrodes aim to boost efficiency in organic solar cells. Withstanding more than 36 000 bending cycles and achieving high power output even on flexible surfaces, FTOSC could reshape how we harvest energy. Additionally, a large-area prototype for portable electronics will be developed using advanced spray-coating technology.
Objective
I intend to travel to the University of Oxford and the lab of Prof. Moritz Riede and build a second-generation version of indium tin oxide (ITO)-free flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs), which I have designed and built during my PhD studies at the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong SAR. This will be designed not only to note excellent flexibility but also emphasize (1) excellent electrical and optical properties (i.e. sheet resistance <15 Ω sq.-1 and diffuse transmittance >90 %), (2) extremely smooth surface roughness (i.e. PtV <5 nm), (3) enlarged surface conducting channels, and (4) on-demand surface work function covering p- and n-type semiconducting properties, leading to a higher figure of merit (FoM) compared with industry-standard ITO on a glass substrate. In addition, an intermediate recombination layer (IRL) concept that electrically connects two sub-cells in a tandem cell will be devised by using arbitrary hole and electron transport layers (HTLs and ETLs) to advance consecutive manufacturing processes in a facility system without using the PEDOT:PSS. Once complete, I intend to break the record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of flexible tandem organic solar cells (FTOSCs) consecutively manufactured by solution (>20 %) and dry (>12 %) techniques respectively based on the developed on-demand p- and n-type ITO-free FTEs in this proposal, resulting in higher PCEs compared with the identical rigid tandem cells based on the rigid ITO. In addition, robust mechanical operation of the FTOSCs (>90 % PCE retention) under >36.5 k cycles (one year of use, if used 100 times a day) of repeated bending to a radius of 1.4 mm (e.g. Galaxy Z fold 2) based on the developed FTEs will be achieved under AM 1.5 G illumination standard for approximately 12 hours (time difference between sunrise and sunset). Finally, a large area for portable device scale (6-inch) for the ITO-free FTEs will be demonstrated by exploiting the unique spray coater in the host group.
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 chemical sciences inorganic chemistry post-transition metals
- engineering and technology materials engineering amorphous solids
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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.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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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.
OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom
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