Research Activities of Jeffrey R. S. Brownson

Areas of Interest: 

• Energy Collection: Nanostructured inorganic photovoltaic systems (third generation photovoltaic technologies).
• Environmental Technology: Sustainable materials design for energy, water quality, air quality, and waste treatment.

Photovoltaic (PV) Materials and Advanced Devices:

My research addresses disruptive new designs and materials for inorganic PV cells (solar-electricity conversion). The photovoltaics industry has seen a steady growth, and the demand for high purity silicon now outweighs that of the microchip industry. The first and second generations of photovoltaics brought about silicon solar cells and thin film solar devices. Using new materials and cell designs (termed eta-solar cells, for extremely thin absorber), advances in third-generation photovoltaics offer new alternatives for high-efficiency, reduced-cost solar electricity. These cells fulfill the materials sustainability and the long-term stability required in a growing and diversifying PV market. My methods of materials characterization include photoelectrochemical techniques, X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy.

Environmentally sustainable energy solutions:

Global demand for carbon-neutral renewable energy has driven government subsidies for PV in Asia and Europe. From this recent push, PV systems costs have been greatly reduced and the technology has penetrated into the energy market with ~37% average growth over the past 10 years (in terms of peak MW power), which indicates a doubling of the market output every 2.2 years.

There is no better time than now to initiate new materials research for solar energy conversion. At minimum estimates, our global energy demands will double to 28 terawatts (TW=10¹² Watts) by 2050, and the sun is uniquely prepared to offer us that amount of energy in a carbon-neutral form.^1,2 The Earth’s entire surface collects ~1.2x10⁵ TW of radiant power, and an estimated 60 TW could be collected from land sites, even considering solar cells with 10% photoconversion efficiency.² Current technologies are producing inexpensive, low conversion efficiency cells. However, we need more growth, faster.

Environmental Technology:

Environmental technology is a subfield of environmental science concerned with topics of sustainable development (for energy, water quality, air quality, and waste treatment). Past technologies have been devoted to water, air, and waste treatment—in association with civil and environmental engineering. My own research in environmental technology deals with materials development for photovoltaic solar cells. But the alternative energy field can also include materials for supercapacitors, batteries, and inorganic fuel cell membranes.

I meld environmental technology and materials science in my research. My focus is on nanoparticle synthesis and nanostructured thin-film deposition, with the goal of fully assembled eta-solar cell devices for characterization and energy production. However, my background in environmental chemistry and mineralogy also drive my awareness for materials development within the constraints of sustainability and materials fate in the environment.

1. Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization. (2005) U.S. Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences. www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/SEU_rpt.pdf

2. N. S. Lewis, Chemical Challenges in Renewable Energy. California Institute of Technology, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. http://nsl.caltech.edu.

Selected Publications:

Brownson, J. R. S., Georges, C., Larramona, G., Lévy-Clément, C. Chemistry of d-SnS:    New Tin Monosulfide Polymorph Thin Films from Galvanostatic Electrodeposition. ECS Transactions, 2007 6(2), 587.

Hara, Y., Brownson, J. R. S., Anderson, M. A. Electrophoretic Deposition of Template-Free ZnO Nanorod Films. ECS Transactions 2007 6(2), 423.

Brownson, J. R. S., Georges, C., Lévy-Clément, C. Synthesis of a d-SnS polymorph by electrodeposition. Chem. Materials, 2006 18(26), 6397.

Brownson, J. R. S., Tejedor-Tejedor, M. I., Anderson, M. A. FTIR study of methanol and ethanol interactions with anatase surfaces with respect to UV irradiation. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2006 110(25), 12494.

Brownson, J. R. S., Tejedor-Tejedor, M. I., Anderson, M. A. Photoreactive anatase consolidation characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. Chem. Materials, 2005, 17(25), 6304.

Brownson, J. R. S., Lee, T. J., Anderson, M. A. Reesterification and photo-sintering of titania xerogel thin-films. Chem. Materials, 2005, 17(11), 3025.

Back to Faculty Directory