PhD New Luminescent Materials for Sustainable Energy Technology: towards a photovoltaic window

In this PhD research project, luminescent materials for building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology will be developed. The PhD will make and study new types of strongly absorbing luminescent solar absorber materials of just a few hundred nm thick, that can convert the UV+VIS part of the solar spectrum into infra-red luminescence. When applied as a coating to windows, these materials can enable a cost-effective electricity generating PV-window following the principle of a Luminescent Solar Concentrator (LSC). A LSC can harvest sunlight by absorbing, re-emitting, and subsequently guiding light, like in an optical fibre, to solar cells integrated in the windowpane that convert the light in electric power.

To successfully develop new valuable luminescent absorber materials, it is crucial to get fundamental understanding of the physical processes underlying the luminescence mechanism of the materials. One of the scientific challenges is to understand how generated electron-hole pairs can transfer their energy to the luminescence centres. The strongest possible absorptions in an inorganic material are so-called bandgap absorptions in which an electron is excited from the valence band (VB) to the conduction band (CB) leaving behind a hole in the VB. Although there are many materials (hosts) with a small bandgap that absorb the entire visible part of the solar spectrum (black materials), very few show efficient luminescence of doping ions. Host-to-doping ion energy transfer is often described by a resonant process between (self-trapped) exciton emission and doping ion absorption. The materials of this project have a smaller bandgap and are selected to have a small exciton binding energy causing transfer involving excitons to be inefficient. In the new materials, sequential transfer of first the electron followed by the hole is the anticipated transfer process to the luminescence centres.

The fundamental insights are obtained first by time and temperature resolved optical and luminescence spectroscopy combined with a variety of techniques to analyse the structure, (defect) composition and morphology of the films. Secondly fundamental understanding involves data interpretation and model development using knowledge of solid-state physics, optics and quantum mechanics. Ideally the obtained insights will be used to select other materials with improved properties during your project.

In this project you will learn the ins and outs of reactive DC, RF and pulsed magnetron sputtering, the working horse technology in glass coating industry, to make the luminescence materials. Targeted materials are rare earth (like Yb) and transition metal (like Mn) doped inorganic semiconducting materials, emitting in the infra-red spectral range, where silicon solar cells have high conversion efficiency.

The Luminescence Materials group at Delft University of Technology has more than 30 years of experience with luminescent materials research and collaborates with a start-up company and glass coating industry to facilitate a route to large scale application of the coatings as windows. You will be working in a team, headed by your promotor, with other PhD's, technicians, a start-up company and glass coating industry. A PhD student receives a general education by the University Graduate School and can be involved in activities like teaching practicals for a small part of your time and co-supervise graduation project at the bachelor and master level.

Specifications

max. 40 hours per week €2770—€3539 per month Delft

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Requirements

You need to show in your application that you have

a university master in physics or a master specialised in inorganic (physical) chemistry. Strong analytical skills to develop models describing luminescence mechanisms and fit models to experimental data.

3. a proven interest in, and experience with, experimental (materials) research.

It is beneficial but not mandatory to have experience with any of the topics mentioned in the job description. 

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term contract: 18 maanden.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2541 per month in the first year to € 3247 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the . This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Employer

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core and we actively to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact

Department

Afdeling

Faculty applied sciences

With more than 1,100 employees, including 150 pioneering principal investigators, as well as a population of about 3,600 passionate students, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is an inspiring scientific ecosystem. Focusing on key enabling technologies, such as quantum- and nanotechnology, photonics, biotechnology, synthetic biology and materials for energy storage and conversion, our faculty aims to provide solutions to important problems of the 21st century. To that end, we educate innovative students in broad Bachelor's and specialist Master's programmes with a strong research component. Our scientists conduct ground-breaking fundamental and applied research in the fields of Life and Health Science & Technology, Nanoscience, Chemical Engineering, Radiation Science & Technology, and Engineering Physics. We are also training the next generation of high school teachers.

Click to go to the website of the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

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