This project is designed to further develop a prototype for a chemical method for making a thin film solar cell material. The team has developed a deposition process using raw materials composed of highly abundant and non-toxic elements to produce an environmentally-friendly and low-cost solar cell. Prototype development will involve flow-through reactors where several processes happen simultaneously and synergistically. The team will be looking to further understand the heat flow, chemical diffusion, reaction kinetics, surface nucleation, viscosity effects and reaction byproducts of the method.
If successfully developed, this technology could facilitate adoption of solar energy production by significantly reducing solar cell production costs. Broad adoption of solar is a key element in the global effort to reduce the negative effects of climate change and this technology could play a prominent role in leveraging solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuel sources.
Our participation in this I-CORPS grant was aimed at evaluating the business case for commercializing a new solar absorber material and the chemical process for making this material. Our team carried out extensive customer investigation (over 100 contacts were made) to evaluate the market drivers and expectations for solar module products and the key cost factors that influence manufacturing. When we entered the program we were driven by the expectation that our composition (being sourced from more earth-abundant and environmentally friendly sources) would lead to lower costs and help cultivate an appreciative consumer base. Through our many customer contacts we rapidly learned that cost is the primary concern and that new solar module technology will need to beat the incumbent (silicon-based modules). During the same time period we have made chemical reactor improvements as well as testing dopants in the semiconductor. A short video description of our material can be found at this YouTube link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c0R_tQtDjs Intellectual Merit This program allowed us to collect better business information and helped bring the focus of our development efforts more into line with the business expectations for new materials development. We also made headway in flow-through reactor design, leading to a version with much more uniform fluid/reactant velocity profiles and more consistent reactor residence time. Broader Impact As a program aimed at more direct commercialization of our new technology we were successful at learning more about new materials business development. This has brought the present solar technology significantly further along in its development. And, the training we have received will be excellent material and case study examples for advising future students and incubating new materials and devices technologies. The customer-focused method learned here can be applied to many future technology developments.
