Friday 19 January 2024 1:00pm to 2:00pm
LT1 Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Philippa Fawcett Dr, Cambridge CB3 0AS
About
Our first speaker of 2024, Prof. Michael Grätzel from EPFL (Lausanne) – a world-leading expert in photovoltaics and the inventor of the first dye-sensitised solar cell. You can find more information about Michael’s work and amazing achievements here.
The talk will be hosted by Prof. Sam Stranks.
After the seminar – join us for informal networking in the Atrium with tea and scones!
Abstract: Photovoltaic cells using molecular dyes, semiconductor quantum dots or perovskite pigments as light harvesters have emerged as credible contenders to conventional devices. Dye-sensitised solar cells (DSCs) use a three-dimensional mesoscopic junction for photovoltaic electricity production. They possess unique practical advantages in particular highly effective electricity production from ambient light, ease of manufacturing, flexibility and transparency, bifacial light harvesting, and aesthetic appeal, which have enabled industrial mass production and commercial applications. They served as a launch pad for perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which are presently being intensively investigated as one of the most promising future PV technologies, the PCE of solution-processed laboratory cells having currently reached 26.1%. Present research focuses on their scale-up as well as ascertaining their long-term operational stability. My lecture will cover our most recent findings in this revolutionary photovoltaic domain.
Biography
Prof. Michael Grätzel is a full professor and director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces at EPFL. He is a world-leading chemist and a pioneer of molecular photovoltaics, who invented the dye-sensitised solar cells. His transformative impact further extends to the pioneering development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), marking a paradigm shift in solar energy conversion. He has also made profound contributions to the fields of colloidal semiconductors, solar fuels generation and lithium ion batteries. Recognised globally for his scientific achievements, Prof. Grätzel has received numerous prestigious awards and honours, including the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, the Millennium Technology Grand Prize, and the Global Energy Prize, with various guest professorships and scientific memberships in prestigious institutions around the world. To date, Prof. Grätzel has authored over 1,800 publications with more than 470,000 citations and an h-index of 299. He is continuously ranked as the top scientist across all fields by recent Stanford University studies.