Materials Research

News

• 2024-05-08

  International research workshop on polymers

  Researchers from several European countries gathered for a two-day workshop at Karlstad University. The general theme was research on polymers and their application for organic solar cells and energy storage.

  – There are several purposes behind the workshop, says Jan van Stam, Professor of Physical Chemistry. We want to learn from other experts, expand our networks and make new contacts, as well as putting Karlstad University on the map in this field of research. We who organised the workshop are part of the research group SOLA at Karlstad University, and it includes researchers from materials physics, computational materials research and physical chemistry. SOLA is also part of the faculty’s focus area Materials Research.
   

• 2023-12-06

  From Uruguay to Karlstad University

  Patricia Saenz Mendez came to Karlstad University in 2020, in the midst on the pandemic. A rather strange start, but as a newly appointed docent in chemistry, she feels that she is in exactly the right place.

  - I completed my PhD in Uruguay and after that I ended up in Sweden. Before Karlstad University, I was a postdoc at KTH and Örebro University, as well as at University of Gothenburg for a short period, says Patricia Saenz Mendez. I didn’t know that much about Karlstad and the university here when I saw the vacancy, but I realised that it was a subject environment with a specialisation that would suit me perfectly.

• 2023-05-22

  Physics research receives positive response in review by the Swedish Research Council

  The Swedish Research Council has conducted a review of physics research conducted at Karlstad University and 11 other higher education institutions. An independent evaluation panel, consisting of 14 international experts, has evaluated the research based on its scientific quality and societal impact.

  - I represent the physics discipline here at Karlstad University and I feel that the Swedish Research Council’s review was a positive experience both in terms of the process and the outcome, says Marcus Berg, Professor of Physics. The review had the explicit purpose of evaluating Swedish physics research as a whole and in relation to other countries, not handing out “relative grades” within Sweden.

• 2023-01-03

  Self-healing solar cells recover at night

  Perovskite solar cells degrade when exposed to sunlight, which results in decreasing performance over time. A new research project will examine how such solar cells could recover and self-repair at night.

  – Electronic components, such as solar cells and LEDs, are made from semiconductor materials, says Ellen Moons, professor of Physics. Such materials form the basis of all electronics, computers, cell phones and screens. Halide perovskite is a new type of semiconductor, which has gained a lot of attention for reaching high performance as solar cell material — despite being simple and energy efficient to manufacture.

• 2022-05-09

  Chemistry experiments under microgravity condition

  Solar cell researchers from Karlstad University have once again conducted experiments in zero gravity during parabolic flights in Bordeaux, France. The aim is to study how the structure of the active layer of the polymer solar cell is formed, to thereby be able to increase its efficiency.

  – This is the second time we have conducted experiments during parabolic flights, says Jan van Stam, Professor of Physical Chemistry at Karlstad University. We are studying the transition from solution to thin, solid film that constitutes the active layer of the solar cell, where the sunlight is converted into electricity. When you remove gravity, structure formation slows down. This makes it possible for us to, in more detail, study how the structure of the material changes.

• 2022-01-31

  Rocket science applied to chemistry research

  Solar cell research at Karlstad University has been granted further funding from the Swedish National Space Agency, SNSA. Later this year, the research group in chemistry and materials physics will carry out experiments under microgravity conditions on parabolic flights in Bordeaux, France. The aim is to study how the structure of the active layer of the solar cell is formed.

  - We are very pleased that the SNSA continues to invest in our research, says Jan van Stam, Professor of Physical Chemistry at Karlstad University. We have also been approved by ESA, the European Space Agency, to carry out our new experiments during parabolic flights in 2022. This confirms that we are on the right track in a very competitive environment and that our research here at Karlstad University is of international importance.