In search of solar power's secrets

A critical step required to more effectively harness sunlight to produce electrical power lies in understanding how the process happens at the molecular level.

That’s the focus of research by Mark van Schilfgaarde, a professor of materials science and engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, one of ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

If we had the precise molecular “recipe” for how the most basic building blocks of matter act in converting and generating energy, then manufacturers would have a blueprint for a significant advance in producing more efficient solar cells.