The Center for Solar Energy in the School of Physical Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, established March 1, 2007, is a Center that supports research aimed at increasing our understanding of how light from the sun can be converted into electrical and chemical energy. Presently, solar energy provides an insignificant fraction (<< 1%) of our overall energy needs and fundamental scientific breakthroughs will be required to change this status quo. Research within the School of Physical Sciences' Center for Solar Energy will seek to identify and solve "bottlenecks" in fundamental science that impede our ability to carry out these energy conversion processes efficiently.
The research initiatives of the Center are lead by (left to right) Reg Penner, Dean John Hemminger, Matt Law, and Alan Heyduk, all of the UCI Department of Chemistry. Reg Penner will serve as the first Center Director.
The School of Physical Sciences' Center for Solar Energy has multiple research initiatives:
1) Metal-Semiconductor Hybrid Nanowires Utilizing Plasmonics for Concentrating Solar Radiation - Composite nanowires, in which metal particles are connected by semiconductor segments, can be synthetically controlled to study the fundamentals of plasmonics, a phenomenon with the ability to increase the efficiency of ultra-thin solar cells. This research will be conducted by the research groups of Professor John Hemminger and Prof. Reg Penner.
2) Quantum Dot Solar Cells - Quantum dot solar cells are promising devices for efficient and low-cost solar energy conversion. The research group of Prof. Matt Law will study the unique chemistry and physics of these devices and explore new materials to make even higher efficiency solar cells.
3) Molecular Machines for Solar-Powered Photochemistry - The research group of Prof. Alan Heyduk will investigate an innovative new hypothesis for the design and construction of bimetallic molecular machines that use the sun's energy to catalyze the photolysis of water to produce hydrogen and oxygen gases.
4) Direct Solar Thermal-to-Electrical Energy Conversion using Thermoelectric Nanowires - This project, directed by Prof. Reg Penner, will explore the use of nanowire-based thermoelectrics for the conversion of solar heat to electrical power.
5) Developing Sustainable Materials for Solar Energy Conversion - The research group of Prof. Matt Law will investigate different synthetic methodologies for making quantum dots, nanorods, and nanowires out of earth abundant and non-toxic elements.
