When ultraviolet light is applied to nano crystals, they emit colorful light. These nano crystals are investigated for their use in high performance solar cells.
Researchers at the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University will share more than $1 million in grant funding, partly from NASA with matching funds from each institution to investigate the use of semiconductor materials in photovoltaic devices that power satellites and other instruments in space.
The funds, administered by the Arkansas NASA-EPSCoR office at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, will enhance research opportunities in the state and could create high-tech jobs. The National Science Foundation initiated EPSCoR – the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research – to encourage local action to develop long-term improvements in a state’s science and engineering enterprise.
“This research will have a significantly positive impact on the quality and competitiveness of the state’s academic research enterprise,” said Omar Manasreh, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Arkansas. “It will create new opportunities for further development in the field of novel photovoltaic materials and devices.”
The ultimate goal is to fabricate and test a photovoltaic device that is capable of processing a solar energy conversion efficiency of 40 percent or better.