Earth abundant transparent conductors for photovoltaics

Current trends in solar energy conversion have led to an increased interest in the incorporation of earth-abundant oxides and atomically thin semiconductor in photovoltaics. The production of these materials offers the benefits of scalability and low carbon footprint, however, the incorporation of lightly doped polycrystalline materials is likely to introduce losses into energy harvesting devices, reducing their efficiency to the point of impracticality.

The aim of this project is to develop a framework for increasing the efficiency of polycrystalline materials for use in energy harvesting devices. The work will focus on two intertwined research efforts: (1) experimental quantification of charge carrier dynamics across ultrathin semiconductors, with an emphasis on charge retention phenomena near the grain boundaries, and (2) the development of a theoretical framework for accurate description of transport in such materials. In a later stage of this project, the accumulated body of knowledge will allow the candidate to engineer the morphology of the material, by means of tuning the growth parameters and annealing steps, to optimise its efficiency.

The experimental work in this project will be based on two surface analysis instruments, unique to Durham University: The Microwave Impedance Microscope that quantifies surface photovoltaic properties at a resolution of tens of nanometres, and the Internal Photoemission Optical Beam Induced Current Microscope, that was designed in Durham specifically for studying interface dynamics at junctions and interfaces.
The theoretical work in this project will rely on finite element semiconductor simulator that will feed into a continuous time stochastic solver.

ReNU's enhanced doctoral training programme delivered by three uniquely co-located major UK universities, Northumbria (UNN), Durham (DU) and Newcastle (NU), addresses clear skills needs in small-to-medium scale renewable energy (RE) and sustainable distributed energy (DE). It was co-designed by a range of companies and is supported by a balanced portfolio of 27 industrial partners (e.g. Airbus, Siemens and Shell) of which 12 are small or medium size enterprises (SMEs) (e.g. Enocell, Equiwatt and Power Roll). A further 9 partners include Government, not-for-profit and key network organisations. Together these provide a powerful, direct and integrated pathway to a range of impacts that span whole energy systems.

Industrial partners will interact with ReNU in three main ways: (1) through the Strategic Advisory Board; (2) by providing external input to individual doctoral candidate's projects; and (3) by setting Industrial Challenge Mini-Projects. These interactions will directly benefit companies by enabling them to focus ReNU's training programme on particular needs, allowing transfer of best practice in training and state-of-the-art techniques, solution approaches to R&D challenges and generation of intellectual property. Access to ReNU for new industrial partners that may wish to benefit from ReNU is enabled by the involvement of key networks and organisations such as the North East Automotive Alliance, the Engineering Employer Federation, and Knowledge Transfer Network (Energy).

In addition to industrial partners, ReNU includes Government organisations and not for-profit-organisations. These partners provide pathways to create impact via policy and public engagement. Similarly, significant academic impact will be achieved through collaborations with project partners in Singapore, Canada and China. This impact will result in research excellence disseminated through prestigious academic journals and international conferences to the benefit of the global community working on advanced energy materials.