The Optoelectronics Research Lab in the College of Engineering looks at things like no other lab on campus. The lab uses hightech instruments to investigate new nanomaterials capable of harnessing the powerful energy of the sun. Electrical engineering professor Omar Manasreh, who runs the lab, will now be able to add a new piece of equipment for researchers: a micro-photoluminescence/Raman high-resolution microscope. The purchase is possible thanks to a grant of $200,000 from the Department of Defense and an additional $50,000 from the University of Arkansas. The new lab instrument will be used to help characterize and test semiconductor nanocrystals, metallic nanoparticles and semiconductor nanostructures known as quantum dots. Once a material’s properties are determined, its applications and potential uses can be developed.
Manasreh and researchers in the Optoelectronics Research Lab have developed new materials that will enable greater efficiency of photovoltaic cells in solar arrays. Currently, the light-to-energy capabilities for solar arrays deployed on spacecraft and the International Space Station are topped out at 23 percent. However, new materials such as metallic nanoparticles can significantly
increase that ratio, allowing longer and more far reaching missions.