Photovoltaics and Thermoelectricity

Cutting edge research

Anders Elfwing med solmodul 2016 — Photographer: Thor Balkhed

Linköping carries out world-leading research into printed organic solar cells. These cells are environmentally sensitive, can be printed onto large surfaces, and open completely new possibilities for husbanding the energy of the sun.

Solar cells

An intense hunt is underway for new combinations of materials, and this has laid the groundwork for advances in recent years in printed organic solar cells. The energy efficiency of these cells has increased in just a few years from very low levels to 11%. LiU researchers are joint holders of the world efficiency record, and they are among the most frequently cited researchers in the world in this field. In the autumn of 2016, around 20 doctoral students and several research groups were working in organic solar cells.

The results of the hard work of these scientists can be seen in the most prestigious journals in the past year: Nature Energy, Science, Advanced Materials, and several others. The research is advancing along many fronts and in collaboration with researchers in China, Germany and the US.

Printed organic solar cells are rapidly approaching commercial viability, and the research has also resulted in spin-off companies.

LiU researchers also study solar cells and light-emitting diodes that contain perovskites, new materials that can consist of a mixture of plastic and metal.

Research is also under way in the use of the organic materials to regulate the passage of solar energy through windows. Such windows can contribute to heating a building in the winter and cooling it in the summer, at the same time as they generate electricity.

Thermoelectricity

Front-line research into new materials or combinations of materials that can help us to recycle waste heat or exploit the energy in the infrared radiation from the sun, known as the “sun’s tail”, is also undertaken at LiU. Scientists are looking not only at organic thermoelectric materials but also at thin films of inorganic materials. This research is also highly ranked, and the funding it has been awarded includes Starting Grants from the European Research Council. Such grants are awarded only to the most promising young researchers in Europe.

Research

Functional pi-Materials

Building functional nanostructures for clean energy technology through organic chemistry.

Organic Energy Materials

We exploit and investigate the physics and chemistry of novel organic and composite materials to design and fabricate the next generation of energy devices.

Organic Energy Harvesters

Our vision is to create the next generation of green, cheap, reliable energy devices for the coming revolution of internet of everything. The emphasis is to combine energy conversion and mechanical compatibility for flexible and wearable electronics.

News

Breakthrough for next-generation digital displays

Researchers at LiU have developed a digital display screen where the LEDs themselves react to touch, light, fingerprints and the user’s pulse, among other things. Their results could be the start of a whole new generation of digital displays.

Major leap for stable high-efficiency perovskite solar cells

Solar cells manufactured from materials known as “perovskites” have advantages of low cost and short energy payback time. However, such solar cells have problems with stability – something that researchers at LiU, have now managed to solve.

Spin-polarized semiconductor light emitting structure.

Major initiative in materials research for sustainability

A billion-kronor investment into research under the auspices of the Wallenberg Initiative Material Science for Sustainability (WISE) will develop sustainable and efficient materials to solve some of the huge challenges we face.

Organic electronics

The world's first organic transistor and the world's first chemical chip were developed at LiU. Research groups are working in areas as diverse as energy storage and energy recovery, LEDs and solar cells, electronic plants and bioelectronics.

Energy

More efficient use of energy requires a systems perspective: an action that reduces carbon dioxide emissions in one place may multiply emissions in another. LiU researchers study energy systems in buildings, locally, regionally, and in industry.

Photovoltaics and Thermoelectricity

Cutting edge research

Solar cells

Thermoelectricity