Processing Equipment

For processing large batches of conducting polymers

Electrochemical cells and equipment

This flow cell was designed in IPRI.

For producing carbon nanotubes

Atomate CVD machine

CVD Dual Stage Tube furnace for CNT production

Sputter coater

Plastic Solar Cell Laboratory established early 2007.

Solar Simulator and IPCE

Solar simulators are scientific light sources that mimicks the solar spectra of the sun, so provides a calibrated means to control artificial sunlight during testing of photovoltaic cells.  The solar simulator defines a precise spectrum which allows us to calculate the polychromatic efficiency of the photovoltaic cells for outdoor photovoltaic applications.

IPCE measures photocurrent as a function of monochromatic light wavelength to give the incident photon to current collection efficiency spectrum (IPCE). The IPCE is the product of three parameters: absorption efficiency, carrier generation efficiency and carrier collection efficiency.

These critical pieces of equipment coupled with important physical characterisation equipment (e.g. SECM) forms the cornerstone of the UoW's plastic solar cell laboratory.

A selection of some of the electrochemical flow cells in IPRI

SEMs of carbon nanotubes grown at IPRI with the atomate.

Aligned CNT sheets from the dual stage furnace

Targets used in sputter coating at IPRI: gold, platinum, aluminium and ITO.

solar simulator

IPCE