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Emerging inorganic materials in thin-film photovoltaics Faraday Discussion

4 - 6 July 2022, Bath, United Kingdom


Introduction

This Faraday discussion will be a hybrid event, allowing participation both in person and online.

Welcome

Join us in Bath, or online, in 2022 for this edition of the Faraday Discussion series. For over 100 years and 300 meetings, Faraday Discussions have been the forefront of advancing the chemical sciences, and many of the Discussions have become landmark meetings in their field. The unique format of the Faraday Discussions allows for in-depth discussions and opportunities to establish new collaborations.
 
This Discussion will focus on the next generation of inorganic thin-film solar cells based on Earth abundant non-toxic materials. The meeting is for all researchers working on inorganic materials for thin-film photovoltaics including established and early-career scientists, post-graduate students and industrial researchers. Oral and poster presentation opportunities are available to all these groups, and I invite you to submit an oral or poster abstract to make your contribution alongside leaders in the field.
 
On behalf of the organising committee, I look forward to welcoming you to Bath, or if you are joining us virtually, online.
 
David J Fermin
Chair
 

Format

Faraday Discussions remain amongst the only conferences to distribute the speakers’ research papers in advance, allowing the majority of each meeting to be devoted to discussion in which all delegates can participate.  Following each meeting a written record of the discussion is published alongside the papers in the Faraday Discussions journal.

Find out more about the Faraday Discussions in the video.

Themes

The aim of the Discussion is to assess the latest developments in emergent inorganic absorbers and the extent in which we can correlate and predict device performance from structural and optical properties. The Discussion will bring together leading scientists in material design and modelling, structural and electronic characterisation, and device design and performance analysis.  We welcome contributions involving chalcogenides, pnictides and oxides, particularly those in the growing field of defect-tolerant semiconductors comprising elements such as Bi, Sn, In and Sb.
 
The Faraday Discussion will be organised into the following themes:
 
Indium-free CIGS analogues
Cu-based materials have been actively researched in the context of stable materials based on Earth-abundant elements. The so-called ‘substrate’ cell architecture underpinning CIGS technology is suitable for the deposition of a variety of Cu-based materials employing sputtering techniques and solution-based methods followed by reactive annealing. This session will consider developments in this area including absorber materials and buffer layers. One of the key objectives of the Discussion is to assess the performance gap between this class of materials and state-of-the-art CIGS cells.  

Novel chalcogenides, pnictides and defect-tolerant semiconductors
This large family of compounds includes chalcogenide perovskites and delafossites, binary chalcogenides, nitrides and halides. Our understanding of the optical and electronic properties of these materials varies considerably, while appropriate device architectures have not been established in many of these cases. This session will cover the latest developments in the area, with strong emphasis on the role of coordination, bonding and the opto-electronic properties of these materials.

Material design: structure and bonding
This session will address guiding principles for screening materials for PV applications. The discussion will mainly consider absorber materials. Other active layers such as buffer and transparent conduction oxides are also within scope.

Bulk and surface characterisation techniques of solar absorbers
This session will discuss contributions of state-of-the-art tools for characterising semiconductor materials and interfaces, including synchrotron X-ray based techniques, photoemission spectroscopy/microscopy, high resolution electron microscopy and scanning probe techniques. 

Speakers
Abstract submission

Oral abstracts - now closed

A full research paper containing new unpublished results always accompanies oral presentations at Faraday Discussions. Submit an oral/paper abstract by 1 November 2021 if you wish to be considered for an oral presentation and associated published paper. The oral/paper abstract should outline current research in progress. Authors of the selected abstracts must then submit a full research paper with a significant amount of new, unpublished work by 14 February 2022.

The research papers are reviewed upon submission and are sent to all delegates 4 weeks before the meeting so they can be read in advance. At the meeting the presenting author is allowed five minutes to highlight the main points of their paper, and the rest of the time is for discussion. The discussion is recorded and will be published alongside the research paper in the Faraday Discussion volume. 

Poster abstracts - now closed

Submit your poster abstract by 9 May 2022. Posters are displayed throughout the meeting, both in-person and virtually. The Faraday Division poster prize will be awarded to the best poster presented by a student.
 
As this Discussion is being planned as a hybrid event we will be using a dedicated online poster platform to show all posters. Poster presenters who are attending the Discussion in-person will also need to print and display their poster physically. If your poster is accepted for this event, you will receive an email from us with further information for those attending in-person and inviting you log on to the poster platform where you will be able to upload a PDF of your poster. 

Additional information

All oral and poster abstracts will be reviewed by the committee.  Authors will be notified of the outcome of the review process within about 6 weeks of the submission deadline. The abstracts should be no longer than one A4 page in portrait layout. Please ensure you provide the details of the presenting author and indicate whether you are submitting an abstract for oral or poster presentation. 
Registration

Planning your trip

We encourage delegates who are planning to attend events in person to arrange suitable travel and accommodation insurance, which should include cover for the postponement or cancellation of travel caused by regulations and guidelines relating to Covid-19. We also recommend considering flexible travel and accommodation booking options where possible.

In-person registration includes:
  • Attendance at all scientific sessions
  • Live interaction with delegates attending virtually
  • Attendance at the poster session and access to the online poster gallery
  • Refreshments throughout the meeting and lunch on all three days
  • Attendance at the poster drinks reception on 4 July 2022
  • Attendance at the conference dinner on 5 July 2022
  • Access to all journal paper pdf “pre-prints” before the meeting
  • Access to recordings of all scientific sessions post-event
  • ***A copy of the Faraday Discussion journal volume, issued approximately 5 months after the meeting, containing all papers presented at the meeting and accompanying discussion comments.
Virtual registration includes:
  • ​Attendance at all scientific sessions via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online conference platform
  • Live interaction with delegates attending in-person and other virtual delegates
  • Access to the virtual poster gallery and exhibitor/sponsor virtual rooms
  • Access to all journal paper pdf “pre-prints” before the meeting
  • Access to recordings of all scientific sessions post-event
  • ***A copy of the Faraday Discussion journal volume, issued approximately 5 months after the meeting, containing all papers presented at the meeting and accompanying discussion comments. 
 
In-person registration fees are as follows (subject to VAT at the prevailing rate):
 
 
Early bird Standard
RSC Member* £315 £365
Non-member** £415 £465
Student RSC member* £145 £195
Student non-member £175 £225
Accompanying person £100 £100

Please note accommodation is not included in the in-person registration fee.
 
Virtual registration fees are as follows (subject to VAT at the prevailing rate):
 
RSC Member* £95
Non-member** £145
Student RSC member* £45
Student non-member £65

 
* If you are a Royal Society of Chemistry member and wish to register for this meeting, please select the member option on the online registration page. You will need to enter your membership number.

**For non-member registrants, affiliate membership of the Royal Society of Chemistry until the end of 2023 is available, the affiliate membership application will be processed and commence once the registrant has attended the event.
 
***Excluding students, who can order the volume at a reduced price at the conference. 

Student delegates

In order to encourage undergraduate or postgraduate students to attend the Discussion, a reduced conference fee is available for students. This fee applies to those undertaking a full-time course for a recognised degree or a diploma at a university or equivalent institution.

A copy of the Faraday Discussion journal volume containing papers presented at the Discussion (issued approximately 5 months after the meeting) is not included in the student registration fee. Students may purchase a copy of the volume at less than half price. This discounted price is available to delegates when ordering during the registration process.  

Accompanying person

If you would like to bring a guest to the conference, this can be done during the registration process. There will be a charge of £100 which will include all lunches, refreshments and the conference dinner. The fee does not include attendance at any scientific sessions, journal paper pre-prints or the journal volume.

Accessibility

The Royal Society of Chemistry is keen to encourage and enable as many people as possible to attend our events, to benefit from the networking opportunities and the chance to hear talks from leaders in the field. If you would like to discuss accessibility, please contact us to discuss your requirements so that we can enable your attendance.
Book now

Terms and Conditions for Events run by the Royal Society of Chemistry

Bursaries
Researcher development grant

If you are an RSC member and a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher based at a higher education or research institution you are eligible to apply for a Researcher development grant.

This grant can provide up to £500 towards activities that will develop your skills and experience as a researcher, which includes participation at conferences, either in-person or virtual.

Applications are processed monthly, with the deadline for each round being the last day of the month, and decisions being sent out by the 21st of the following month. Researcher development grants can be applied for in addition to Grants for carers and Assistance grants.

Grants for carers

Grants for carers have been introduced following the Royal Society of Chemistry Breaking the barriers report where 78% of chemists working in UK academia felt that managing parenting and/or caring responsibilities has an impact on women’s retention and progression. This fund is not limited to women scientists and welcomes applications from anyone with caring responsibilities. These grants have been supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemists’ Community Fund.

You can apply for up to a maximum of £1000/year to assist with additional financial costs that you incur for care usually provided by you whilst you attend a chemistry related meeting, conference or workshop or a professional development event.

Caring responsibilities are wide and varied, and so each application will be individually assessed, examples of applications that we will consider include:
  • paying for extra home help or nursing care for a dependent whilst you will not be present
  • additional medical/respite care for a dependent whilst you will not be present
  • travel expenses for a relative to travel with you to care for dependents whilst you attend a meeting or event
  • paying for extended hours with a care worker/childminder/play scheme to cover time when you will arrive home later than normal.
You are eligible to apply if: 
  • you are a chemist
  • you will incur additional caring expenses whilst attending a chemistry-related meeting, conference, event or workshop or a professional development event
  • you will use these funds to cover the cost of care that you usually provide 
  • you are based in the UK or Ireland or if not, you will normally have held three years RSC membership (past or current).
Sponsorship & supporting organisations
A selection of sponsorship opportunities is available for companies who would like to promote their activities at the 2022 Faraday Discussion series

There are opportunities available to become the Faraday Discussion series sponsor,  Research & Development partner or Poster prize series sponsor as well as some individual meeting options. A sponsorship menu document will be available to download from this page with more details and prices.

Please note that exhibition spaces are limited, spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

If you would like more information about sponsoring the 2022 Faraday Discussion series, please contact the Commercial Sales Department at the Royal Society of Chemistry on advertising@rsc.org. Sponsorship Menu
Venue
Chancellors Building

Chancellors Building, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom


This event is a hybrid event. For those attending in-person, venue details are as below. Virtual attendance will take place via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s virtual conference platform. For details of what’s included in virtual and in-person attendance, please see the registration section.
 
We are actively planning to hold this event in a hybrid format. Should the event move to be held in virtual-only format, any in-person delegate registrations will be refunded for the difference between in-person and virtual registration fees.
Accommodation
Accommodation is not included in the registration fee.

University of Bath run an accommodation booking service, if you would like any assistance please use the link provided.

Committee
David Scanlon (Co-Chair), University College London, United Kingdom

Professor David Scanlon is Chair of Computational Materials Design at the Department of Chemistry, University College London. David gained his BA. (Mod) Computational Chemistry in 2006 and PhD in Chemistry in 2011 from Trinity College Dublin, where he carried out his research under the supervision of Professor Graeme W. Watson. In 2011 he moved to the UK to University College London to take up a Ramsay Fellowship in the Department of Chemistry, hosted by Professor Sir Richard Catlow, FRS. In September of 2013 he was appointed to a Lectureship in the Department of Chemistry at UCL and was promoted to Reader in 2016 and Professor in 2018. He was awarded the Harrison-Meldola Memorial Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in 2015 and the 2021 RSC Materials Chemistry Division Early Career Award. He is a Fellow of the RSC, Lead Editor of PRX Energy, and sits on the advisory boards of the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, Materials Advances, ACS Applied Energy Materials, Cell Reports: Physical Science and Matter. In 2023 he will Chair the RSC's MC16 Meeting in Dublin Ireland


Jake W. Bowers, University of Loughborough, United Kingdom

Dr Jake Bowers is a Reader in Photovoltaics, within the Centre of Renewable Energy Systems Technology in the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University. Jake gained his BSc in Physics, in 2005, and later his PhD in Photovoltaic Materials in the Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering in 2011 from Loughborough. His current research focuses on the development of new functional materials for use in photovoltaic applications. These include solution processing of chalcogenide materials for low cost thin film solar cells, development of high mobility transparent conducting oxides, and vacuum processing of CdTe and its alloys.


Susan Schorr, Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Germany

Professor Susan Schorr is the Head of the Department Structure and Dynamics of Energy Materials at HZB (since 2011) and professor of Geo-Materials Science at the Freie Universitaet Berlin (since 2008). Susan gained her Diploma in Crystallography in 1991 from the Humboldt Unversity Berlin and a PhD in Physics in the field of neutron scattering in 1995 from the Technical University Berlin. In 2006 she did a habilitation at the University Leipzig where she also received her Venia Legendi. Her research focuses on structure-property relations of compound semiconductors applied as absorbers in thin film solar cells. Susan was the chair of the German Crystallographic Society from 2015-2018, since 2019 she is the general secretary of the German Federal Association of Materials Science and Materials Engineering.


Jonathan Scragg, University of Uppsala, Sweden

Jonathan Staaf Scragg received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Bath, UK, in 2010. He later joined the division of Solar Cell Technology at Uppsala University, where he is currently associate professor in the topic thin film solar cells. His research encompasses development of robust solar absorbers for sustainable photovoltaics, using scalable synthesis techniques. The scientific focus is on the chemistry of thin-film material formation. Materials of interest are primarily chalcogenides, including kesterites and, more recently, wider gap absorbers suitable for tandem cells. 


  • David J. Fermin (Chair) University of Bristol, United Kingdom
  • Thomas Weiss University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

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