One device that can both harvest and emit light
Above: Illustration of the cross section of the new device architecture, showing the two modes of operation, highlighting how the device engineering improves the efficiency of both light absorption and light emission. (Illustration: Daniel Morton)
Imagine a phone screen that can also harvest solar energy, extending the device’s battery life without extra hardware. This is the potential promise behind collaborative research led by Michael McGehee, a professor of chemical and biological engineering, and a fellow of the materials science and engineering program and the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute.
This study describes a single device that functions as both a solar cell and light-emitting diode (LED). These two applications have previously required conflicting design parameters, even when built from the same material.
Made from a class of materials called perovskites, this new device architecture is capable of efficiency levels that would be strong for a device designed to do only one of these functions, with its solar cell holding the world record for sunlight to electricity conversion efficiency at the time of submission. Perovskites are relatively inexpensive and easy to process, providing opportunities for future scaling of this technology.
Principal investigator
Michael McGehee
Collaboration + support
CU Boulder’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering Program, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI); Jixian Xu, University of Science and Technology of China