Projects

Projects we have done

 

We cooperate with firms and institutes in projects in which ceramic coatings are being employed. Sometimes, however, our knowledge and expertise on gas phase reactions can be used. From the projects listed below, a summary is given. Please note that due to non-disclosure aspects, we can only give brief descriptions of only a few selected projects.

1. Liquid Phase Growth 

This project deals mainly with gas phase reactions and not with ceramic coatings. The principle of LPG is shown here. If a gaseous silicon species is being fed over a liquid metal film (molten metal), silicon will dissolve in the film. If the maximum solubility is reached, the silicon will start crystallising. By continuously feeding silicon, the crystals will grow. The result is shown in the figure. The success of this technique depends on the type of metal used, the reactor pressure, the temperature and the type of silicon species. This research was carried out by order of ECN solar energy and financed by Novem.

2. Diffusion barriers for use in thin film silicon solar cells

Since 3 years, we synthesize the diffusion barriers used in the research on thin film crystalline silicon solar cells. At this moment, we are subcontractor of a European project named SUBARO. The silicon is deposited, among others, by DIMES. The barries prevent diffusion of atoms out of the substrate material during and after silicon deposition. This diffusion decreases the efficiency of the cell.

3. Photocatalytic production of hydrogen and/or methanol

This project was carried out in cooperation with STORK product engineering, ECN energy efficiency and the Laboratory for Applied Inorganic Chemistry of the Delft University of Technology and partly financed by the bureau for Economy, Ecology and Technology (EET). Titanium dioxide was used as photocatalyst, our task was to increase the sensitivity for visible light by doping the TiO2 with Cr or Fe. The results on thin films showed that methanol and methane were formed out of carbon dioxide and water under illumination with sunlight. However, the efficiencies were very low. Therefore, a new project has been started.