Photo credit: NASA
University of
Arkansas researchers are developing the next generation of photovoltaic
devices to be used
in space missions, such as the International Space Station.
(September 17, 2015) Two
University of Arkansas researchers working on a promising new material to
create more efficient solar cells will lead a corps of Arkansas scientists
chosen to develop the next generation of photovoltaic devices used in space
missions.
Shui-Qing “Fisher” Yu, associate professor of electrical
engineering, will serve as principal scientific investigator on the
multi-institutional project. The team will
develop photovoltaic devices made of silicon-germanium-tin, a powerful
semiconductor that has been proven to increase efficiency in electronic devices
that source, detect and control light.
The project is made possible by a $750,000 NASA/EPSCoR grant
to the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium Office at the University of Arkansas at
Little Rock. EPSCoR — Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research —
is a funding program to increase state participation in competitive aerospace-related
research activities.
“We are excited that our material research has been
recognized by NASA,” Yu said. “Now we have the opportunity to move forward
developing a high-performance solar cell for space applications.”
Yu will collaborate with Hameed Naseem, professor of
electrical engineering; Mansour Mortazavi, physics professor at the University
of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; and Allan Thomas, physics professor at the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Yu, Naseem and Mortazavi previously received
a $725,000 grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research to work
on similar technology.