Chemical fluctuations in polycrystalline thin-films for photovoltaic devices
Within this project we investigate chemical fluctuations at the nanometre scale in polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and CuInS2 thin-flims used as absorber material in solar cells.
Secondary phase formation as well as chemical fluctuations such as impurity segregation at structural defects like grain boundaries can significantly affect the optoelectronical properties of photovoltaic materials. Within this project we investigate such chemical fluctuations at the nanometre scale in polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and CuInS2 thin-flims used as absorber material in solar cells. We apply combined scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) as well as correlated transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) and atom probe tomography (APT).
Accumulation and diffusion of Na (green) along Cu depleted structural defects (blue) in epitaxial grown CuInSe2 films on GaAs substrate
Mechanistic description of In/Ga interdiffusion. STEM-BF image of a cross section from a Na2Se treated CuInSe2 film grown on GaAs substrate and corresponding Ga, In and Cu elemental maps.
Mechanistic description of In/Ga interdiffusion. STEM-BF image of a cross section from a Na2Se treated CuInSe2 film grown on GaAs substrate and corresponding Ga, In and Cu elemental maps.
Image quality maps from a TKD measurement of an APT needle and corresponding unique color map showing a RHAGB (blue) and ∑3 TB (red). Na & C co-segregation as well as Cu enrichment (blue iso-concentration surface) at the RHAGB. Concentration profile across the RHAGB revealing an atomic redistribution.
Image quality maps from a TKD measurement of an APT needle and corresponding unique color map showing a RHAGB (blue) and ∑3 TB (red). Na & C co-segregation as well as Cu enrichment (blue iso-concentration surface) at the RHAGB. Concentration profile across the RHAGB revealing an atomic redistribution.
International researcher team presents a novel microstructure design strategy for lean medium-manganese steels with optimized properties in the journal Science
Biological materials in nature have a lot to teach us when in comes to creating tough bio-inspired designs. This project aims to explore the unknown impact mitigation mechanisms of the muskox head (ovibus moschatus) at several length scales and use this gained knowledge to develop a novel mesoscale (10 µm to 1000 µm) metamaterial that can mimic the…
Grain boundaries are one of the most important constituents of a polycrystalline material and play a crucial role in dictating the properties of a bulk material in service or under processing conditions. Bulk properties of a material like fatigue strength, corrosion, liquid metal embrittlement, and others strongly depend on grain boundary…
Titanium and its alloys are widely used in critical applications due to their low density, high specific strength, and excellent corrosion resistance, but their poor plasticity at room temperature limits broader utilization. Introducing hydrogen as a temporary alloying element has been shown to improve plasticity during high-temperature processing…
This project targets to exploit or develop new methodologies to not only visualize the 3D morphology but also measure chemical distribution of as-synthesized nanostructures using atom probe tomography.
