Decades ago, chemists developed reliable formulas to calculate what fraction of a chemical energy source could actually be converted into free energy. No such reliable limits exist for photovoltaic energy extraction -- for the extraction of electrical energy from photons -- in the general case. Limits have been developed for specific types of light and specific classes of device. In this project, the PI will use a combination of theoretical analysis and simulation studies to explore what the upper limits of extraction might be, as a function of the characteristics of light (particularly at lower frequencies), for devices based on novel nanopatterned materials. It is hoped that the fundamental knowledge developed in this way might be useful as a guide to future research in energy management systems.
