MSci Project Proposal Form 2009-2010
Project Code: EXSS-Chatten-1
Project title: Optimising the Luminescent Solar Concentrator
Supervisor: Dr Amanda Chatten
Assessor: Dr Ned Ekins-Daukes
Telephone: Ex. 4 7564
Telephone: Ex. 4 6675
E-mail: a.chatten
E-mail: n.ekins-daukes
Research group: EXSS
Research group: EXSS
Project Summary:
The Luminescent Solar Concentrator (LSC) is a novel approach to reducing the cost of
photovoltaic electricity. LSCs have advantages over conventional geometric concentrators
in that expensive solar tracking is unnecessary and both direct and diffuse radiation can be
collected. However, their development has been limited by the performance of luminescent
dyes, particularly their stability. The quantum photovoltaics group has pioneered the
replacement of the dyes by colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (e.g. quantum dots and
nanorods). Advantages over dyes include; that the absorption threshold can be tuned by
the choice of nanocrystal size, improved stability and improved solar photon harvesting
owing to the broad absorption spectra of the nanocrystals. In addition high luminescence
quantum efficiencies have been observed for core-shell nanocrystals.
Optimising the LSC, using modelling tools which we have developed, has become one of
the main objectives of the group’s research activity. This project will give two
students the opportunity to make a contribution to a leading-edge research project that is
collaborative with European laboratories and which is of direct relevance to the problems of
developing sustainable electricity generation.
The project will involve absorption, luminescence and short-circuit current measurements
on concentrator samples and test devices, together with interpretation of the results using
the models. The project therefore will be of interest to students with an interest in both
experimental measurements and the computer modelling of the concentrator
performance.
The location of the project will be the Huxley Undercroft.
Experimental component: 50%
Computational component: 40%
Theoretical component:
10%
Eligible for students on the MSci
Physics with Theoretical Physics Degree: NO
Suggested reading:
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A Goetzberger and W Greubel, Appl. Phys. 14, 1977, p123
K W J Barnham et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 76, 2000, p1197
A J Chatten et al., Semiconductors, 38, 2004, p909
Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine