More about the science

One critical part of using nanotechnology to improve solar cell technology is to focus on developing better light gathering capabilities. We are currently working on the fabrication of a photonic antenna, a biomimetic device that will increase the number of light photons absorbed through a solar cell, thereby boosting the rate of energy production.

But other improvements are also needed. Once the photons are captured, the light energy is absorbed by electrons, producing a charge in the process and generating electricity. Separating and guiding the charge along a circuit poses a difficult technical challenge. In order to take greater advantage of light-gathering antennae, it is necessary for out team to directly assemble and position them adjacent to light-absorbing molecules at nanometer-scale precision.

To stitch the system together, our novel approach focuses on the molecule of life, DNA. One of the ways we can do this is by using manufactured DNA to create self-assembling strands on which the charge can travel.

Our research has experts in the burgeoning science of DNA nanoarchitecture — or molecular scale DNA origami — for folding DNA into a broad range of technological applications important for human health and bio-electronic sensing devices.

By controlling the exact position and location of the chemical bases within a synthetic replica of DNA, we can potentially fashion an unlimited variety of DNA assemblies. We will help the team create self-assembled DNA structures to attract and harness a greater degree of solar energy and light photons.

The DNA will act as the scaffold that holds everything together. It will hold the antenna that gathers light together with the molecules that convert the intensified light to electricity. The antenna, by concentrating light, will increase the rate of absorption of the light photons.

The ASU team’s end result will attempt to create new solar energy technology platforms and attract the interest of future research partners. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation, as part of the agency’s Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award program, which recognizes and promotes interdisciplinary research between education and industry.