Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Time-Resolved Thz Conductivity Of An Intermediate Band Semiconductor, Elliot Weiss May 2017

Time-Resolved Thz Conductivity Of An Intermediate Band Semiconductor, Elliot Weiss

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

Intermediate band materials have promising applications as affordable, highly efficient solar materials. However, intermediate band solar cells exhibit low efficiency to date. Carrier recombination is a critical process that limits efficiency. If electrons relax to the valence band before they can be collected, their energy is lost. To help understand the recombination dynamics and physical properties of intermediate band semiconductors, we obtain time-resolved THz conductivity measurements of the intermediate band semiconductor, GaPAsN, at various temperatures. From our results, we build a model that provides insight to the recombination dynamics of GaPAsN.


Conductivity Measurements Of A Thermoelectric Nanomaterial Through Thz Spectroscopy, Michaela S. Koller, James Heyman, Gunnar Footh May 2017

Conductivity Measurements Of A Thermoelectric Nanomaterial Through Thz Spectroscopy, Michaela S. Koller, James Heyman, Gunnar Footh

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

In today’s society there is a great demand on energy output—in the United States alone we rely heavily on non-renewable energy sources. Thermoelectric materials may be able to be used to create more efficient energy systems or recover wasted heat from inefficient technologies. This paper focuses on the conductivity of a new thermoelectric material that incorporates copper into a tellurium nanowire PEDOT:PSS material. The addition of copper seems to increase the conductivity of the material, although the exact relationship between the percentage of copper to tellurium and its affect on the conductivity is uncertain from the results.