Organization
University of California, Santa Cruz
Project Leader
Sue Carter and Glenn Alers
Summary
The Laboratory for Solar Energy and Renewable Fuels
is focused on using new material technologies and nanostructured devices to produce electricity and fuels from renewable
sources at dramatically reduced cost and/or weight. The laboratory designs, fabricates, characterizes and models advanced
energy devices, including solar cells, luminescent solar concentrators, photoelectrochemical cells, fuel cells and energy
storage devices. Devices are primarily fabricated using low cost solution processable materials and/or near atmospheric-based
processing methods. In addition, advanced processing methods for producing carbon neutral fuels and carbon sequestration are
explored. Given its focus on nanotechnologies and lightweight, high-efficiency energy technologies needed for space applications,
SERF anticipates a strong overlap with the missions of existing ASL affiliates ASST, BIN-RDI, AAMD, CNS, NECTAR and TCL,
as well as NASA Ames. SERF will also continue to work with the energy industry to facilitate rapid commercialization of solar
energy and renewable fuel technologies.
Project Description
SERF facilities at the ASL will include state-of-the-art
instrumentation for the development of solar energy and renewable fuel technologies, primarily based on solution processable
materials. SERF's core device fabrication and testing system consists of a dual glove-box with integrated oxygen and moisture
monitors, thermal evaporation/RF sputtering system, spin and dip coaters, and solar simulator and IV-measurement system.
Additional initial equipment will include a microbalance, tube furnace, hall probe system, fiber optic optical spectrometer
(280 nm to 2600 nm) and a photothermal deflection spectrometer. Short-term plans also call for the installation a deep-level
transient spectroscopy system, a conducting-tip atomic force microscope with optical head and temperature stage for simultaneous
photoconductance and topology measurements, and a potentiostat and related instrumentation for cyclicvoltammetry and
photoelectrochemical cell testing. Future plans involve expanding capabilities for fuel cell, battery and ultracapacitor
device fabrication and testing, print-based manufacturing on flexible substrates and plasma-based processing methods.
SERF facilities will provide valuable user-friendly instrumentation for other ASL affiliates.
The SERF project leaders have been recipients on ongoing grants over the past few years from the UC Discovery program, the
Global Climate Energy Program (GCEP), the Department of Energy (DoE), the National Science Foundation, the Public Interest
Energy Research program, the UC Energy Institute and the Petroleum Research Fund. That funding is expected to continue and
expand as a result of opportunities provided by access to the new and existing facilities and expertise at the ASL.
Sponsored by the University of California, Santa Cruz, SERF is led by that institutions’ Physics
professors Sue Carter and Glenn Alers.
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