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.
Project C3 of the SFB/TR103 investigates high-temperature dislocation-dislocation and dislocation-precipitate interactions in the gamma/gamma-prime microstructure of Ni-base superalloys.
Statistical significance in materials science is a challenge that has been trying to overcome by miniaturization. However, this process is still limited to 4-5 tests per parameter variance, i.e. Size, orientation, grain size, composition, etc. as the process of fabricating pillars and testing has to be done one by one. With this project, we aim to…
The structure of grain boundaries (GBs) is dependent on the crystallographic structure of the material, orientation of the neighbouring grains, composition of material and temperature. The abovementioned conditions set a specific structure of the GB which dictates several properties of the materials, e.g. mechanical behaviour, diffusion, and…
Efficient harvesting of sunlight and (photo-)electrochemical conversion into solar fuels is an emerging energy technology with enormous promise. Such emerging technologies depend critically on materials systems, in which the integration of dissimilar components and the internal interfaces that arise between them determine the functionality.
This ERC-funded project aims at developing an experimentally validated multiscale modelling framework for the prediction of fracture toughness of metals.
In this project, links are being established between local chemical variation and the mechanical response of laser-processed metallic alloys and advanced materials.
Conventional alloy development methodologies which specify a single base element and several alloying elements have been unable to introduce new alloys at an acceptable rate for the increasingly specialised application requirements of modern technologies. An alternative alloy development strategy searches the previously unexplored central regions…
This project aims to correlate the localised electrical properties of ceramic materials and the defects present within their microstructure. A systematic approach has been developed to create crack-free deformation in oxides through nanoindentation, while the localised defects are probed in-situ SEM to study the electronic properties. A coupling…
By using the DAMASK simulation package we developed a new approach to predict the evolution of anisotropic yield functions by coupling large scale forming simulations directly with crystal plasticity-spectral based virtual experiments, realizing a multi-scale model for metal forming.
