| Conductive contacts
in solution form for ink-jet printing on solar cells |
The
conversion of sunlight into electricity via a solar
cell is a clean and renewable energy source. With
the increasing environmental, political, and economical
problems associated with fossil fuel energies, photovoltaics
are becoming more viable for widespread energy production.
The discovery of organic semiconductors that can
be produced by wet chemical methods has spawned intensive
research efforts to produce solar cells with low
cost-to-energy ratios. However, there are still many
issues regarding lower production costs and increased
cell efficiencies that must be resolved. One of these
issues pertains to the formation of low-resistance
metal contacts. In this research project, the UG
student will work in Porter group to investigate
contacts in solution form such that they can ultimately
be ink-jet printed on solar cells. The experimental
work will involve selecting and purchasing the metal
contact materials, applying them to the semiconductor
films, measuring the electrical characteristics,
and characterizing the morphology and chemistry with
techniques such as scanning electron microscopy. |
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