SEC Awards

Individual Awards

Individual Awards 2013

20% Efficiency Nanostructured PbS Solar Cells
Rene Lopez, Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Non-Toxic, Low Temperature Preparations of Earth Abundant Nanocrystal Inks for High Efficiency Photovoltaic Modules
Amy Prieto, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University

Probing Fundamental Light-Matter Interactions in Colloidal Hybrid Quantum Structures for Novel Plasmon-Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion
Min Ouyang, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park

Individual Awards 2011

Computational Discovery and Optimization of Organic Photovoltaic Materials
So Hirata, Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Enabling Solar Energy Conversion using Rational and Scalable Growth of 1D Nanomaterials Made of Inexpensive Semiconductors
Song Jin, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Energy Pooling as a Novel Thermodynamic Mechanism for Organic Photovoltaics
Sean Shaheen, Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Investigating Charge Transport and Recombination in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Photovoltaics with Conjugated Polymer Columnar Structures on Graphene
Lei Zhai, Department of Chemistry, University of Central Florida

Individual Awards 2010

Biologically Optimized Protein Films for Solar Energy Conversion
David Cliffel, Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University

Bottom-Up Assembly of Nanoscale Heterojunctions for Photochemical Energy Conversion
Frank Osterloh, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis

Directed evolution of hydrogenase for efficient light-driven hydrogen production via quantum dot-enzyme hybrid systems
Stefan Lutz, Division of Research, Codexis

Molecular Approach to Converting Solar Energy into Chemical Fuel
Alan Heyduk, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine

Molecular-Level Design of Metal-Oxyfluoride/Organic Solids for Visible-Light Photocatalysis
Paul Maggard, Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University

New Chemical Routes for Discovering and Improving Visible-Light Photocatalysts
Raymond Schaak, Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University

Overcoming Shockley-Queisser Limit on PV Solar-Energy Conversion Efficiency: Multiple Exciton
Generation in One-Dimensional Nanostructures
Jie Shan, Department of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University

Photoconversion Physics in Quantum-Wire Arrays with Double-Gyroid Topology
Hugh Hillhouse, Department of Chemistry, University of Washington

Synthesis and Characterization of Core-Shell Wire Heterostructures
Joan Redwing, Department Materials Science & Engineering, Pennsylvania State University

Towards Converting CO2 to Fuel: A Computer-Aided Experimental Discovery of Novel CO2 Reduction Catalysts
Mu-Hyun Baik, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology

Transforming heme proteins into solar driven redox catalysts by site-directed zinc porphyrin mutation
Sean Elliott, Department of Chemistry, Boston University
 

Team Awards

Team Awards 2014

Emerging Au-VO2 Nanocomposites as a Potentially Switchable CO2 Catalyst
Yohannes Abate, Department of Physics, Georgia State University
David Cliffel, Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University
Min Ouyang, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park

Light-Mediated Strain as an Adaptive Tool Toward Efficient Catalysis
Vanessa Huxter, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona
Sara Skrabalak, Department of Chemistry, Indiana University Bloomington

Scalable Tandem Architecture for Solar Water Splitting
Shannon Boettcher, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Oregon
Zachary Holman, Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering, Arizona State University - Tempe Campus

Towards a Tunable Platform for Exploring Band Alignment and Mediating Efficient Charge Transfer: Combining Quantum Confinement with Mid-Gap States
Sarbajit Banerjee, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station
David Watson, Department of Chemistry, SUNY - University at Buffalo

What's Inside a Perovskite Solar Cell?  Learning from (Local) Structure to Design Better Perovskite Solar Cells.
Sarbajit Banerjee, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station
Richard Brutchey, Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California
Amy Prieto, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University

Team Awards 2013

Investigation into Interfacial States in Hybrid Polymer: Nanocrystal Solar Cells - Finding a Path to High Efficiencies
Stephen Bradforth, Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California
Richard Brutchey, Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California
Frank Osterloh, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis

Silicon Diselenide: A 1.7 eV Solar Absorber for Tandem Silicon Photovoltaics
Chito Kendrick, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University
Joan Redwing, Department Materials Science & Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
Adele Tamboli, Department of Physics, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Eric Toberer, Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines

Spectrum Splitting for Low-Cost Hybrid PV/Solar Thermal Generation
Michael Bartl, Department of Chemistry, University of Utah
Benjamin Lear, Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University
Adele Tamboli, Department of Physics, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Eric Toberer, Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines

Targeting a New Product for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction: Formaldehyde
Mu-Hyun Baik, Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology
Ryan Trovitch, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Arizona State University - Tempe Campus

The "Goldilocks" Platform for Efficient H2 Fuel Generation: Enhanced Solar-Matched Photocatalysis of H2O using GaN Surface States
Michael Bartl, Department of Chemistry, University of Utah
Jordan Gerton, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Utah

Team Awards 2012

BaSi2, a New Earth-Abundant Solar Cell Material
So Hirata, Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Song Jin, Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Jiangeng Xue, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida

Photo-induced CO2 Reduction Using Reverse TCA Cycle Enzymes
Gordana Dukovic, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder
Sean Elliott, Department of Chemistry, Boston University

Supramolecular Non-Fullerene Electron Acceptors for Organic PVs--A Pathway Towards 20% Efficient Cells a Cost Less than $0.50/W
Michael Chabinyc, Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara
Alan Sellinger, Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Colorado School of Mines
Sean Shaheen, Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Team Awards 2011
A Modular Supramolecular Approach to Organic Photovoltaic Materials
Ronald Castellano, Department of Chemistry, University of Florida
Jiangeng Xue, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida

Dopant-carrier Auger de-excitation as a new approach to multi-threshold solar energy conversion devices
Daniel Gamelin, Department of Chemistry, University of Washington
David Ginger, Department of Chemistry, University of Washington

Fractals as a Promising Geometry for Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion
Boaz Ilan, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced
Frank Osterloh, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis
Sean Shaheen, Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
Richard Taylor, Department of Physics, University of Oregon

Holographic Spectrum Splitting for Multijunction ORganic Photovoltaics
Raymond Kostuk, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Arizona
Christine Luscombe, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Washington
Sean Shaheen, Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Novel Low-Loss Plasmonic Waveguides to Create High Efficiency PV from Ultra-Thin Organic and Low-Purity Earth Abundant Inorganic Layers
Hugh Hillhouse, Department of Chemistry, University of Washington
Janelle Leger, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Western Washington University
Christine Luscombe, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Washington

Role of Fractal Patterns on New Materials for Solar Energy Applications: Inorganic Clusters, Films and Fractal Geometry Simulations
Darren Johnson, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon
Richard Taylor, Department of Physics, University of Oregon

Team Awards 2010

Artificial Nanoscale Enzymes for CO2 Reduction Catalysis
John Gilbertson, Department of Chemistry, Western Washington University
Raymond Schaak, Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University

Bio-Inspired Electro-Optic Structure for Silicon Photovoltaics
Rene Lopez, Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kathleen Melde, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arizona
Joan Redwing, Department Materials Science & Engineering, Pennsylvania State University

High Spatial Resolution Electrochemistry of Biological Inspired Systems
David Cliffel, Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University
Sean Elliott, Department of Chemistry, Boston University
Stefan Lutz, Division of Research, Codexis

Nanoplasmonic focusing of light fields to amplify non-linear optical effects in composite photovoltaics
John Lupton, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah
Eugene Mishchenko, Department of Physics, University of Utah