The Solar Energy Harvesting Materials Research Group is part of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia.
Our group focuses on the development and engineering of functional materials from natural resources in the nano and microscale.
Indigenous Resources for Solar Energy Harvesting Materials
The abundant natural resources in Indonesia provides us with vast possibilities in obtaining advanced materials, which also include materials for solar energy technologies. The aim of our group is to develop these abundant natural resources into functional materials at the nano and microscale. By synthesizing with different pathways and methods, these natural resources-derived materials could be used for applications related to solar energy harvesting technologies.
The use of semiconducting nanomaterials have demonstrated abilities to drive reactions that involve pollutant degradation, water splitting, and chemical production. Our group aims to harness these innovative catalysts, to translate sunlight directly into useful products that can be useful to society.
With Indonesia’s rich biodiversity, the use of local biomass has shown significant potential as a reducing and chelating agent for synthesizing nanomaterials. This eco-friendly “green chemistry” approach yields defect-controlled nanomaterials that are both highly sustainable and effective for advanced energy applications.
Moving beyond traditional silicon, solar cells research has transcended towards its newer generation, such as thin film, dye-sensitized, and perovskite-based devices. We aim to research these architectures to enhance power conversion efficiencies and accelerate the global transition toward accessible renewable energy.
We are actively seeking undergraduate and graduate students all year round!
Undergraduate and graduate students, who are interested in advanced materials for solar energy harvesting and want to learn (i) nanomaterial synthesis and film fabrication processes from natural and mineral resources, (ii) nanomaterials characterization and application, (iii) dye sensitized solar cell fabrication and characterization, are welcome to join our group for independent studies and final year projects.
Kindly contact us beforehand if you are interested in joining. Check the People page for our contact information.
