Funded studentship - Transparent and conductive nanotube coatings for solar cell applications

School of Materials

University of Manchester

The top electrode of a solar cell has to be both conductive so that electrons can flow through it and transparent so that light can pass through it. Traditionally, this electrode is made from glass coated with doped tin oxide compounds. This PhD project will develop a new coating material based upon carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes might not initially appear to be an obvious transparent coating given they are so black. However, their high conductivity combined with their high aspect ratio means that very thin, transparent conducting coatings can be made from them. The project will involve the production of carbon nanotubes (by catalytic vapour deposition or CVD) and their subsequent processing to make the coatings. The student will investigate methods to manufacture new nanotube architectures within the coatings and then relate the structure of these coatings to their physical properties. The project will involve electron microscopy, high temperature CVD, impedance spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy.

The work is sponsored by Pilkington Group Limited, who are the flat glass business of the NSG group and are based about 30 miles from the University. NSG is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of glass and glazing systems with sales of £4 billion in 130 countries around the world. Its four major business areas are Building Products, Automotive Products, Information Technology Materials and Glass Fibre. As part of the Building Products business Pilkington Group Limited has recently established a Solar Energy business line to provide transparent conductive coatings on glass as a substrate for solar cell manufacture.