Research led by the Kippelen Group at Georgia Tech is published in the April 20th edition of the journal Science and has resulted in the first completely-plastic solar cell. The Georgia Tech and Princeton teams have discovered what appears to be a universal technique to reduce the work function of conductors by using extremely-thin coatings of commercial polymers containing simple aliphatic amine groups. This approach works successfully with a wide range of conductors including metals, transparent conductive metal oxides, conducting polymers, and graphene. “These polymers are inexpensive, environmentally friendly and compatible with existent roll-to-roll mass production techniques,” said Bernard Kippelen, CISSEM Associate Director. “Replacing reactive metals with stable conductors, including conducting polymers, completely changes the requirements of how electronics are manufactured and protected. Their use can pave the way for lower cost and more flexible devices.” CISSEM researchers from the groups of Principal Investigators Bernard Kippelen, Seth Marder, Jean-Luc Brédas, Samuel Graham, and Antoine Kahn all contributed to the new process. photo courtesy: Virginie Drujon-Kippelen
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Congratulations to Paul Lee, recipient of a prestigious 2012 Staff Award for Excellence at The University of Arizona. Paul is a CISSEM Associate Staff Scientist and has been with the center since it was founded. His knowledge, design expertise, and construction skills have been crucial to CISSEM acquiring and installing several pieces of high-tech, custom research equipment totaling $750,000. Paul is actively involved in many volunteer activities at The University of Arizona, including the “science to go” program tailored to meet the different experience levels of K-12 students in Southern Arizona.
Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, visited The University of Arizona campus on February 3rd. Chair Sutley’s visit included a tour of CISSEM Director Neal Armstrong’s EFRC laboratories and a roundtable discussion on sustainability with UA researchers, administrators and students including President Gene Sanders, Provost Jacquelyn Mok, and College of Science Executive Dean Joaquin Ruiz.
Read more about Chair Sutley’s visit on the White House website
Message From The Director
Welcome to the Center for Interface Science: Solar Electric Materials. We are an EFRC program established in 2009, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. CISSEM is comprised of a great team of scientists, engineers, and staff located at major universities and research centers in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, New Jersey, and Washington. An integral part of our mission is to inspire, recruit, and train future energy scientists and leaders in the basic science of solar electric energy conversion. Our research is focused on the basic science underpinning the development of new thin-film photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion technologies, with a specific focus on understanding and controlling critical regions called “interfaces” on nanometer length scales. The chemical composition and energetics of these interfaces significantly affect the overall efficiency and lifetime of these new solar cells, which contribute to our nation’s development of economical, terawatt-level solar energy sources for the 21st century.
Neal R. Armstrong
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