2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering Graduate major in Energy Science and Informatics
Renewable Energy Conversion Materials
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Energy Science and Informatics
- Instructor(s)
- Sachiko Matsushita
- Class Format
- Lecture (Livestream)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Fri
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- ESI.J460
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Many inorganic materials are used to generate renewable energy. In this lecture, students will learn the basics of semiconductor engineering, electrochemistry, and non-equilibrium thermodynamics to understand pn junction solar cells, quantum dot-sensitized solar cells, Seebeck-thermoelectricity, and semiconductor-sensitized thermal power generation, especially those that use excited carriers in semiconductors. After this lecture, students will be required to study the parts related to their research topics.
Course description and aims
The physics of excited carriers produced from the energy band gap regarding intramolecular, semiconductor, optical, and thermal excitation will be understood. It will lay the groundwork for creating renewable energy systems.
Keywords
global energy issue, thermoelectric, solar cell, semiconductor, electrochemistry, thermodynamics
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
On-line.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Photon and phonon excitation in semiconductor | Understand why excited carriers are generated in semiconductors. |
| Class 2 | pn-junction, Fermi-level, and quasi-Fermi level | Be able to explain pn junctions, Fermi level, and pseudo-Fermi level. |
| Class 3 | Electron transfer at semiconductor/electrolyte interface | The student will be able to explain what kind of reaction occurs when the bands of the semiconductor and the levels of the reactive species in the electrolyte are in any positional relationship. |
| Class 4 | Redox reactions by excited carriers: dye-sensitized solar cell and semiconductor-sensitized thermal cell | The student will be able to explain what are the rate-limiting processes and how they are determined for redox reactions due to excited carriers. |
| Class 5 | The entropy of solar cell and semiconductor-sensitized thermal cell | Deepen the discussion of entropy in solar cells and semiconductor-sensitized thermal power generation. |
| Class 6 | Non-linear thermodynamics | Understand the acquisition of electricity from renewable energy sources with the viewpoint of energy flow. |
| Class 7 | Recent progress in semiconductor-sensitized thermal cell | Learn about the latest trends in new thermal energy conversion technologies, semiconductor-sensitized thermal cells |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Semiconductor part:
"Physics of Solar Cells: From Basic Principles to Advanced Concepts, 2nd Edition"
by Peter Würfel, Wiley (2009)
Reference books, course materials, etc.
"Power Generation at Room Temperature -How to Design of the Sensitized Thermal Cell"
Sachiko Matsushita, et al.
Research Square
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-384614/v7
Evaluation methods and criteria
Report (tentative)
Related courses
- MAT.C312 ： Electrochemistry (Ceramics course)
- MAT.C317 ： Interface Chemistry (C)
Prerequisites
Familiarity with the following vocabulary is preferred: energy bands, band gap, redox reactions.
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
Sachiko Matsushita
Associate Prof.
matsushita.s.ab[at]m.titech.ac.jp