19. Aug 2021
Solar cells: Layer of three crystals produces a thousand times more power
Here you find the doctoral student’s profile of Yeseul Yun. She published results of her doctoral studies at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and shared the research more widely with a press release.
About the author:
- Yeseul Yun ORCHID ID
- Research area(s): Photoferroelectrics
- Centre for Innovation Competence (ZIK) “SiLi-nano“, Institute of Physics, MLU
Field(s) of expertise during doctoral studies:
- Photovoltaic effect in ferroelectrics
- Domain engineering in ferroelectrics
- Oxide superlattice
Curriculum Vitae
- Doctoral studies in the group Light for high-voltage photovoltaics of Dr. Akash Bhatnagar at MLU
- Master in Physics at University of Seoul in 2016
Challenges, rewards and contribution
Q: What was your most important contribution to the publication?
A: I designed the experiments with Dr. Bhatnagar, fabricated the samples and conducted photoelectrical measurements. Depending on the result, I organized and performed the other experiments as well.
Q: What was challenging and what was a rewarding moment during your work presented in the publication?
A: The most challenging part was to fabricate the samples at the beginning. To optimize the perfect condition for high quality samples, it took more than 6 months. The most rewarding moment was when I first measured the first sample, since the result was remarkable as we expected.
Significance of publication
The photovoltaic effect of ferroelectric crystals can be increased by a factor of 1,000 if three different materials are arranged periodically in a lattice. This has been revealed in a study by researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). They achieved this by creating crystalline layers of barium titanate, strontium titanate and calcium titanate which they alternately placed on top of one another. Their findings could significantly increase the efficiency of solar cells.
from press release no. 109/2021 of July 20, 2021
Related publication
Y. Yun, L. Mühlenbein, D. S. Knoche, A. Lotnyk and A. Bhatnagar
Strongly enhanced and tunable photovoltaic effect in ferroelectric-paraelectric superlattices
Science Advances 7, eabe4206 (2021)
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abe4206
About this profile
Doctoral students contribute significantly to publications highlighted by the MLU press office in many cases. These early stage researchers and their work in connection with the publication are in the focus of this profiles by InGrA. Please check further doctoral student’s profiles.
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