Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/M024938/1
Title:	Plasma-based synthesis of low-cost and environmentally friendly quantum dots with tailored energy band structure
Principal Investigator:	Mariotti, Professor D
Other Investigators:	Maguire, Professor P
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	AIST (Nat Inst of Adv Ind Sci & Tech) Sharp Laboratories of Europe Ltd University of California Santa Barbara University of Ulster
Department:	Nanotechnology and Adv Materials Inst
Organisation:	University of Ulster
Scheme:	Standard Research
Starts:	27 July 2015	Ends:	30 September 2019	Value (£):	419,837
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Solar Technology
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 26 Feb 2015 Supergen Solar Challenge Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Current photovoltaic (PV) technologies rely on physical principles that fundamentally limit the maximum solar cell efficiency, i.e. first and second generation technologies cannot produce efficiencies above ~31%. Both silicon-based and non-silicon devices are progressively approaching this limit with improved stability and device performance at reduced costs. It follows that significant improvement in device efficiency can be achieved only by deploying technologies that rely on new physical principles, so called third generation PV; this has been clearly highlighted in relevant UK and international PV roadmaps. In third generation solar cells quantum dots (QDs) often represent an important component and therefore methods to produce QDs that are low-cost, non-toxic and environmentally friendly are required. Currently the most efficient third generation solar cells use elements such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), Selenium (Se) and tellurium (Te) which are either toxic or rare or expensive. This research program deals with the synthesis and study of novel, low-cost, non-toxic and sustainable QDs from a combination of elements such as silicon, nitrogen, carbon and a range of low-cost, non-toxic and abundant metals. Furthermore the research will produce QDs with processes based on atmospheric pressure plasmas that are highly suitable to produce tailored properties and lead to material compositions not achievable with other methods. These proposed plasma processes can also be easily integrated in manufacturing lines for the production of full third generation solar cells.
Key Findings
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Organisation Website:	http://www.ulst.ac.uk