PhD Highly efficient and stable Sn halide PSK-based indoor photovoltaics

Job description

PhD position in the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) MENTOR

Indoor photovoltaics: towards an energy and climate-neutral world

The MENTOR research initiative will provide a comprehensive and versatile technical platform for the development of next-generation indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) that efficiently re-use energy from artificial illumination to power electronics, eventually contributing to an energy- and climate-neutral future. MENTOR aims to unlock the full potential of IPVs taking into consideration growing concerns about sustainability, through the establishment of the first international network of 8 universities, 7 industrial partners, and 5 research centers. The consortium will cover all the key aspects and technologies related to IPVs, including sustainable design, organic and inorganic materials synthesis, photovoltaics manufacturing and characterization, device physics and modelling, theoretical and machine learning-driven approaches, photovoltaics recycling, and industrial processing.

Title research project: Highly efficient and stable Sn halide PSK-based IPVs

The University of Groningen (UG) is a Top 100 research university where inter- and cross-disciplinary research leads to scientific breakthroughs and societal innovation and in which talented students are trained as innovators who will contribute to a sustainable society.

The Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials (ZIAM), located within the Faculty of Science and Engineering, has about 250 researchers (of which 40 PIs) from physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science, performing cutting-edge materials research optimizing knowledge transfer and synergy within various disciplines. ZIAM is ranked 9th (1st in Europe) best materials institute based on publication impact. It has been accredited by the Royal Netherlands Academy for Arts and Science as a Center for Excellence in Materials Science. The Photophysics and OptoElectronics Group, chaired by Prof. M. A. Loi, is part of ZIAM and focus on the investigation of new solution processable semiconductors for optoelectronic devices.

Place of employment and planned mobility: University of Groningen, The Netherlands: 48 months

• ICN2, Spain; 3 months from M33; Stability measurements on the fabricated devices according to developed protocols.
• ECO, Italy; 4 months, from M20; Learning about recycling of IPVs and testing the feasibility of recycling processes for Sn-PSK devices.

Supervisory team: Maria Antonietta Loi (UG); M. Lira Cantu’ (ICN2); E. Moscardini (Eco).

Job Description

The main tasks will comprise the preparation of thin-film of Sn-based PSK with band gap around 2eV in glovebox via solution-processing methods; characterization of the films (e.g., structure, morphology, surface), fabrication of small-scale photovoltaics and their characterization of their performance and stability.

The scientific objectives include:

• To investigate the role of SnF in the Sn-PSK ink and identify other additives to supress the undesired oxidation of Sn2+ to Sn4+;
• To replace the common PEDOT:PSS hole-transport layer with a self-assembled monolayer (e.g., by modifying the well-established 2PAC systems) to increase the compatibility with the Sn-based PSK.
• ETL engineering with the adoption of for exfoliated materials (e.g., SnSe, and TiS).
• To demonstrate efficient (25%) and stable lab-scale Sn-PSK based IPVs.

The DC will acquire a broad range of knowledge of the state of the art in related fields, such as materials physics, lead-free perovskite photovoltaics and sustainable design. The DC will also be involved in dissemination through social media promotion of the network.

Qualifications

We are looking for a talented, creative and highly motivated researcher, preferably with a strong background in Physics or Materials Science. Recruited researcher can be of any nationality. Doctoral Candidate must be eligible to be enrolled into Doctoral Program at University of Groningen and have not been awarded a doctoral degree.

MSCA Mobility Rule: at the time of recruitment by the host organization the researcher must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc) in the country of his/her employer (Tampere University, Finland) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to his/her recruitment. Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not considered.

The applicant must be in possession of Master of Science (MSc) diploma at the beginning of the employment.

English language requirements: Proficiency in written/spoken English is mandatory. Language certificate is required.

Organisation

Conditions of employment

We offer you, following the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities

• A salary of € 2,872 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,670 gross per month in the fourth and final year for a full-time working week.
• A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income and an 8.3% year-end bonus.
• A full-time position (1.0 FTE). The successful candidate will first be offered a temporary position of one year with the option of renewal for another three years.
• Prolongation of the contract is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year to indicate that a successful completion of the PhD thesis within the next three years is to be expected.
• A PhD training programme is part of the agreement and the successful candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering.