A major materials science prize has been awarded to the University of Oxford scientists in order to develop a high-technology coating, having the capability to minimize the production costs of advanced solar photovoltaic cells.
The Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers awarded £25,000 as materials science venture prize to Professor Peter Edwards, Fellow of St Catherine’s College, Oxford and Head of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Oxford, in order to devise methods for manufacturing transparent conducting oxide coatings.
Indium tin oxide (ITO) has almost a perfect combination of high electrical conductivity and high visible-light transparency; therefore it is utilized in the transparent conducting oxide market by more than 97%.
As part of a programme, scientists developed the new coatings to analyze earth abundant materials and low-cost deposition routes that can be deployed for use in transparent conducting oxide coatings. Silicon-doped zinc oxide forms the basis of these coatings, which can be potentially used as a substitute to indium tin oxide.
Professor Edwards stated that zinc occurs abundantly on earth when compared to indium, and the silicon-doped zinc oxide provides electrical conductivities, approximately two thirds of ITO. These new coatings can be used with LCD and lighting displays that are utilized in computers, smart phones, and televisions.
Scientists at the Oxford University and Dr. Jamie Ferguson of Isis Innovation have worked together to protect and market the coatings.
The venture prize funding will be utilized to illustrate the applications of the new thin film coatings for use in organic light emitting diodes, photovoltaic products, and LCD displays. It will also be utilized to test manufacturing processes.
Dr Vladimir Kuznetsov, the Edwards Group’s Senior Research Fellow, and Prof Edwards will co-supervise the project.
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