A New Material for Solar Energy Conversion Devices
Princeton Docket # 13-2905-1
To reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of current solar energy conversion devices, researchers at Princeton University have developed a novel material with improved features.
This novel material is fabricated by alloying nickel oxide (NiO) with lithium (Li) in a rocksalt structure. The alloying of the material decreases the band gap of NiO to the optimal band gap for efficient absorption of visible sunlight. NiO:Li2O alloys preserve the charge transfer property of the host material, NiO. Charge carriers, defined by the electrons and holes that are created as the result of absorbing sunlight, are likely to enjoy long lifetimes in a CT material. This increases the chance for them to be collected and used for producing electricity or driving reactions that can produce fuel. These properties should lead to increased efficiency in solar cell and photocatalytic devices.
Other advantages of the devices are that the raw materials, Ni and Li, are both quite abundant and inexpensive. Furthermore, the cost of making NiO and subsequently NiO:Li2O alloys is much lower than the fabrication process used in many currently available technologies, such as crystalline silicon.
It is anticipated that this new material be used as the p-type semiconductor in the photocathode of a dye-sensitized solar cell. Furthermore it can find applications in water splitting photocatalysis and photo-electrochemistry, as a photocathode for driving the reduction reaction.
Applications
· Utilized as the p-side of a p-n junction in a solar cell
· Applied as photocathode for driving reduction reactions
Advantages
· Abundant and inexpensive raw material
· Improved conductivity of the material
· Better lifetime of the charge carriers
· Higher solar cell and photocatalytic efficiencies
The Faculty Inventor
Emily Ann Carter is Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment and Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering & Applied and Computational Mathematics at Princeton University. She is also the Founding Director of the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University. Professor Carter's primary research lies along the interface of chemistry, materials science, applied physics, and applied mathematics. Much of her work focuses on predicting the behavior of materials, analyzing properties of materials on the atomic level and then using that information to inform models at higher length scales for a comprehensive view of materials behavior. She has received many honors for her work, including election to the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (2009), the National Academy of Sciences (2008), and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2008).
Intellectual Property status
Patent protection is pending.
Princeton is currently seeking commercial partners for the further development and commercialization of this opportunity.
Contact
Micheal Tyerech
Princeton University Office of Technology Licensing
(609) 258-6762 tyerech@princeton.edu
Laurie Bagley
Princeton University Office of Technology Licensing
(609) 258-5579 lbagley@princeton.edu