Jayne English
Solar cells made from non-toxic and earth abundant materials.
- Email: j.english2@ncl.ac.uk
Supervisors
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences
- School of Engineering
Project description
We are developing a truly green solar cell.
This project will combat some of the issues surrounding the current generation of solar cells. These issues are mainly focused around the materials used in the absorber.
Perovskite solar cells use highly toxic materials such as lead. Copper Indium Gallium Selendie (CIGS) solar cells use rare elements, including indium and gallium. We will use materials which are non-toxic and earth abundant. Their specific criteria is based on their bandgap, ability to absorb light, and stability of the excited state.
We will adopt these alternative materials into a thin film device. The device has a similar structure to a Dye-Sensitised Solar Cell (DSSC), but with an extremely thin absorber layer (ETA) instead of a dye material. We will investigate different architectures to help improve the efficiencies of the cells. These architectures include planar and bulk heterojunctions.
The project will also aid the circular economy by finding ways to incorporate recycled materials into solar cells. One area of focus is the extraction of valuable materials from wastewater, in particular focusing on mining waste. Another area of interest is electrical waste. This involves extracting precious metals from discarded electrical equipment such as phones and computers.
Interests
Coffee, being outdoors and cute dogs.
Qualifications
- Master in Chemistry from Newcastle University