PhD Studentship - Printable Multi-junction Solar Cells for Green Energy Production

Number of projects: One

This 3.5 year PhD project is funded by The University of Manchester. The successful applicants will receive an annual tax free stipend, set at the UKRI rate (£19,237 foor 2024/250 and tuition fees will be paid. This project is for UK students.

Burning fossil fuels for energy over the past several centuries has led to today's environmental crisis, making the transition to green energy technologies a global priority. Renewable energy sources offer a clean and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels due to their potential for scalable energy production and minimal carbon emissions. Among the various technologies, photovoltaics (PVs) are attractive, with applications spanning many sectors of our economies. Third-generation photovoltaics are a subcategory of the large PV family and combine features not accessible through commercial PV technologies, including scalable and sustainable manufacturing and eco-friendly materials. Printable organic and metal halide perovskite-based PVs are among the most efficient technologies in this subcategory, achieving over 20% and 26% power conversion efficiencies, respectively. Despite the tremendous recent advances, however, both families face numerous technical challenges that limit their widespread deployment in commercial applications. For example, organic PVs exhibit limited stability, while the most efficient perovskite PVs rely on environmentally harmful compounds. Developing stable and eco-friendly materials and devices could lead to significant breakthroughs for the future photovoltaics industry.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering related discipline.

Please contact the supervisor, Dr Thomas Anthopoulos (thomas.anthopoulos@manchester.ac.uk), before you apply. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.

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