Engineering stable, efficient perovskite solar cells. This project aims to address and resolve a critical issue facing perovskite solar cells which have enormous potential as a future technology for the large-scale generation of cheap, clean electricity: their instability under actual operating conditions. The project is expected to make significant fundamental advances in compositional, structural and interface engineering. This project will benefit the environment by paving the way for the wi ....Engineering stable, efficient perovskite solar cells. This project aims to address and resolve a critical issue facing perovskite solar cells which have enormous potential as a future technology for the large-scale generation of cheap, clean electricity: their instability under actual operating conditions. The project is expected to make significant fundamental advances in compositional, structural and interface engineering. This project will benefit the environment by paving the way for the widespread adoption of cheaper and more efficient solar cells.Read moreRead less
Ultrathin III-V Solar Cells via Crack-Assisted Layer Exfoliation. III-V semiconductors are excellent photovoltaic materials with highest demonstrated solar-to-electricity conversion efficiencies, but find limited usage in terrestrial applications due to high material and fabrication costs. This project aims to improve the cost-effectiveness of III-V solar cells by developing ultrathin III-V semiconductors via crack-assisted layer transfer approach and epitaxy-free fabrication via heterojunction ....Ultrathin III-V Solar Cells via Crack-Assisted Layer Exfoliation. III-V semiconductors are excellent photovoltaic materials with highest demonstrated solar-to-electricity conversion efficiencies, but find limited usage in terrestrial applications due to high material and fabrication costs. This project aims to improve the cost-effectiveness of III-V solar cells by developing ultrathin III-V semiconductors via crack-assisted layer transfer approach and epitaxy-free fabrication via heterojunction architectures, paving the way for cost-effective, high-efficiency, flexible solar cells. The expected outcomes include a disruptive technology for integrated photovoltaics, novel contact and passivation materials, as well as new knowledge generated in materials science and optoelectronics disciplines.Read moreRead less
Nanowire infrared avalanche photodetectors towards single photon detection. This project aims to demonstrate semiconductor nanowire based infrared avalanche photodetectors (APDs) with ultra-high sensitivity towards single photon detection. By employing the advantages of their unique one-dimensional nanoscale geometry, the nanowire APDs can be engineered to different device architectures to achieve performance superior to their conventional counterparts. It is expected that this project will mak ....Nanowire infrared avalanche photodetectors towards single photon detection. This project aims to demonstrate semiconductor nanowire based infrared avalanche photodetectors (APDs) with ultra-high sensitivity towards single photon detection. By employing the advantages of their unique one-dimensional nanoscale geometry, the nanowire APDs can be engineered to different device architectures to achieve performance superior to their conventional counterparts. It is expected that this project will make significant contributions to the development of next generation high performance, fast speed, small size and low cost infrared photodetector technology platform enabling numerous emerging fields in modern transportation, communication, quantum computation and information processing to revolutionise our life and society.Read moreRead less
Revealing the atoms that control performance in photoactive perovskites. This project aims to develop new electron microscopy techniques that will unambiguously determine the elusive structures of photoactive perovskite compounds under static and operational conditions, while correlating crystal structure with solar cell device performance. Photoactive perovskites are promising photovoltaic materials, however, many are sensitive to air and irradiation. This has impeded a huge international resea ....Revealing the atoms that control performance in photoactive perovskites. This project aims to develop new electron microscopy techniques that will unambiguously determine the elusive structures of photoactive perovskite compounds under static and operational conditions, while correlating crystal structure with solar cell device performance. Photoactive perovskites are promising photovoltaic materials, however, many are sensitive to air and irradiation. This has impeded a huge international research effort to determine their structure reliably at the atomic scale. With these new techniques applied to leading compounds and devices, it is expected this project will reveal the structural effects controlling electrical properties and device performance and so enable the design of superior perovskite photovoltaics.Read moreRead less
Quantum microscopy meets photovoltaics: new tools for solar cell research. This project aims to create an innovative platform to characterise solar cells, based on recently developed quantum diamond microscopy. It will enable direct imaging of the current flow in operating photovoltaic devices, providing a new window into key processes such as charge collection and recombination. The platform will be applied to a range of industry-relevant photovoltaic materials and devices. Anticipated outcomes ....Quantum microscopy meets photovoltaics: new tools for solar cell research. This project aims to create an innovative platform to characterise solar cells, based on recently developed quantum diamond microscopy. It will enable direct imaging of the current flow in operating photovoltaic devices, providing a new window into key processes such as charge collection and recombination. The platform will be applied to a range of industry-relevant photovoltaic materials and devices. Anticipated outcomes include new insights into recombination processes and the effect of device degradation, which could facilitate optimisation of the power conversion efficiency and reliability of next-generation solar cells. Additional benefits include new instruments and methods that may find use in the solar cell manufacturing industry.Read moreRead less