Program Overview

Advanced PV and Radiation Attenuation Materials for Space Applications

Program Overview

The Advanced PV and radiation attenuation materials for space applications program is a PhD scholarship available at the Centre for Materials Science. The program focuses on the development of semiconductor perovskite materials for solar cells in space applications.

Study Level

The program is available at the following study levels:

• PhD
• Master of Philosophy
• Honours
• Vacation research experience scheme

Background

The program aims to address the issue of material stability in perovskite solar cells for space applications. Perovskite materials have shown great promise in solar cells, with world-record energy conversion efficiency over 25%. However, their stability under harsh environmental conditions, such as temperature, oxygen, and radiation, is a major concern. The program seeks to understand the evolution of physical and chemical properties of perovskite materials and polyimide-based radiation coating materials under various conditions.

Research Activities

The program involves a multidisciplinary approach, with research activities including:

• Synthesis and characterization of perovskite and polyimide materials
• Measuring the properties of materials under harsh environment stress
• Evaluating the performance of the materials in solar cells

Outcomes

The expected outcomes of the program include:

• Creating fundamental deep understandings of the physical-co-chemical properties of the synthesized materials under extreme environmental conditions
• Unraveling the effect of material structure and compositions on their stability against harsh environment stress

Skills and Experience

An ideal candidate should have an academic background in chemistry, material science, and physics. Research experience in the area of solar cells is highly desirable.

Team

The program team includes:

• Professor Hongxia Wang
• Dr. Bryan Tuten
• Associate Professor Wayde Martens
• Dr. Tony Wang