Research

FENCES: FErroelectric NanoComposites for Enhanced Solar energy efficiency

Principal investigator: Joe BRISCOE
Funding source(s): EU Commission - Horizon 2020
 Start: 01-06-2021  /  End: 31-05-2026
 Amount: £1,599,992
Directly incurred staff: Subhajit Pal; Jorge Ontaneda

Solar photovoltaics (PVs) and sustainable fuel production from photocatalysis have emerged as alternative technologies to fossil fuels. However, these technologies need innovative methods to improve and increase their efficiency and keep their costs low. The EU-funded FENCES project will demonstrate an innovative mechanism relying on the phenomenon of the bulk PV effect in ferroelectrics. The mechanism will combine ferroelectrics and photoactive materials in nanocomposite thin films to increase solar energy efficiency. FENCES will design and synthesise optimal ferroelectric nanostructures and control their characteristics. The project will also develop precise device models to accurately explain and predict device behaviour and use these models to predict optimal materials.