Yannick E
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at Princeton University
Expertise
Chemical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Perovskite, Batteries
Bio
I was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica where I had very few opportunities for scientific research and exploration; so, for me being able to study at MIT, and now Princeton, is a dream come true. During my undergrad, I researched different applications of nanomaterials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes, which resulted in my co-authorship on 3 published articles. My PhD research has been more focused and is essentially a mix between material science and solution chemistry. I began by studying perovskite precursor solutions where the resulting films are used as active layers in solar cells, whilst I’m currently doing research on solution-processable solid electrolytes for use in solid-state batteries. Outside of academics, my top interests are sports and being active in general; I love going to the gym, hiking and playing sports like tennis, basketball and especially soccer! It sounds crazy but I wake up early almost every weekend to watch soccer games. Apart from this, I also like to read, practice Spanish and Mandarin, play video games and travel. I love visiting new countries, however, Jamaica will always be home for me, so feel free to ask me for travel tips!Project ideas
Evaluating the risk-to-reward relationship for implementation of Pb-based Perovskite Solar Cells
In recent years, there has been interest in alternative energy sources, as a result of the detrimental impacts that non-renewable energy sources, such as petroleum and coal, have on the environment (i.e. global warming). Photovoltaics has been the leading technology in the drive for sustainable energy sources. It has been predicted that by 2050, wind and solar harvesting technologies will make up close to 50% of the world energy electricity. Solar cells comprising perovskite active layers have been one of the most widely researched photovoltaic technologies in recent years, experiencing the fastest rise in power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of any emerging solar cell technology. Compared to traditional Silicon-based solar cells, perovskite-based solar cells have a smaller materials cost, are able to be processed at ambient temperatures and typically have low, direct and tunable bandgaps. Additionally, while perovskite-based cells have not been able to surpass Silicon-based ones in terms of PCE, tandem solar cells containing both Silicon and perovskite have continued to break records for PCE. The main drawback of perovskite solar cells is that the best forming perovskite chemistries are Lead (Pb)-based. While there are methods available to encapsulate solar cells, commercial implementation of this solar cell technology will come with an inherent risk due to the high toxicity of Pb0. The goal of this project is therefore to evaluate the risk-to-reward relationship for commercial implementation of Pb-based perovskite solar cells. The risk-to-reward relationship may look different for developed countries like the USA versus underdeveloped countries where cheaper solar cell technologies may be more beneficial and desirable.