| NSF Org: |
EES Div. of Equity for Excellence in STEM |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 22, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 22, 2015 |
| Award Number: | 1535876 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Claudia Rankins
EES Div. of Equity for Excellence in STEM EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | January 31, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $98,588.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $98,588.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1200 N DUPONT HWY DOVER DE US 19901-2202 (302)857-6001 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1200 N. DuPont Highway Dover DE US 19901-2277 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Hist Black Colleges and Univ |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The National Science Foundation uses the EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) funding mechanism to support exploratory work in its early stages on untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas or approaches. The project at Delaware State University aims to integrate research and education to establish the foundation for a new research direction in plasmonic semiconductors, and for validating an educational approach by promoting innovative research to undergraduate chemistry students. The research will explore a paradigm shift in plasmonic materials by investigating ternary and quaternary chalcogenide semiconductor nanostructures for their plasmonic effects in the infrared region. The project's progress and methodology will be captured in a course designed to train students in innovation and creative thinking in research.
Recent research reports indicate that nanostructured semiconductor particles could exhibit potent plasmonic effects in the near infrared region that could impact dramatically their light-matter interaction. A plethora of semiconductor materials, both oxides and chalcogenides, have been thoroughly investigated for their photovoltaic properties and therefore their preparation methods are readily available. The proposed project seeks to synthesize and explore plasmonic effects in germanium chalchogenides, CuGeS2 and Cu2ZnGeS4, using the previously reported CuInS2 nanorings as models for the synthetic approach. The findings of these unprecedented studies will be applied to a large number of chalcogenides. The knowledge generated in the area of chalcogenide semiconductors could lead to developing novel devices in the field of infrared detectors for applications in areas such as personal protection or food safety.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The project at Delaware State University aimed to integrate research and education toward establishing the foundation for a new research direction in plasmonic semiconductors, and validating an educational approach by promoting innovative research to undergraduate chemistry students. The specific outcomes are highlighted below.
Research
Project Outcomes
The research investigated ternary and quaternary chalcogenide semiconductor nanostructures for their plasmonic effects in the infrared region. Two publications, a third paper in revision and a conference presentation were made possible through NSF funding of this project.
- Journal articles:“Sulvanite” (Cu3VS4) Nanocrystals for Printable Thin Film Photovoltaics”, Chen, C.-C.; Stone, K. H.; Lai, C.-Y.; Dobson, K. D.; Radu, D. R. Materials Letters 2018, 211, 17.
- Liu, M.; Berg, D. M.; Hwang, P.-Y.; Lai, C.-Y.; Stone, K. H.; Babbe, F.; Dobson, K. D.; Radu, D. R. The promise of solution-processed Fe2GeS4 thin films in iron chalcogenide photovoltaics. Journal of Materials Science 2018, 53, 7725-7734.
Conference Presentation:
- “Chalcogenide nanomaterials in thin-film photovoltaics”, Daniela Radu, Cheng-Yu Lai, Mimi Liu, Po-Yu Hwang, Dominik Berg, Ching-Chin Chen, Kevin Dobson, 254th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, Washington, DC, August 20-24, 2017, Talk
Training Opportunities for STEM Students
One graduate and one undergraduate student were trained in materials synthesis and characterization; one more undergraduate student was recently recruited to perform materials research. Both undergraduate students aim to continue their research by enrolling into the graduate program at DSU upon graduation.
Education
The project's progress and methodology served as foundation for a course designed to train students in innovation and creative thinking in research. The course will be implemented Fall 2018.
Last Modified: 04/04/2018
Modified by: Daniela R Radu
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