Recent Research Findings

Replacing the Fullerene in Plastic Solar Cells

A molecule very similar to the dyes used in automotive paint has been successfully incorporated into plastic solar cells, moving this technology one step closer to producing low-carbon electricity on a commercial scale.

Advancing Thermoelectric Materials with a New Fabrication Method

Employing a technique known as magnesiothermic reduction, UC Santa Barbara researchers have found a new method to produce a classic thermoelectric material that lowers both synthesis time and temperature.

Making Low-Cost, High-Performance Silicon Photonics a Reality with Quantum Dot Lasers

Techniques developed at UC Santa Barbara have resulted in record performance quantum dot lasers for silicon photonics data

communication.

Start-up Highlights

Ecorithm: Turning Rocket Science into Simple Building Efficiency

Ecorithm's technology -- originally developed by Institute faculty Igor Mezic under a DoD/DARPA grant to analyze fighter jet performance -- is transforming unstructured building data inputs into actionable intelligence that drastically improves building efficiency.

PowWow Energy Combines Savings & Sustainability

UC Santa Barbara alumnus Olivier Jerphagnon's award-winning start-up PowWow Energy is helping farmers save money and energy by detecting water leaks early with its smart leak detector™ technology.

Institute & Faculty News

"Game Changer: Unconventional Gas & Oil and the Energy Landscape," co-sponsored by the Institute, Bren School, and Carsey-Wolf Center, brought together experts in the field for a lively panel discussion on March 6th

At our Energy Leadership Lecture, Google Vice President for Energy Arun Majumdar delivered a talk on the role of science and engineering research in the future of energy and the economy

Institute Faculty Umesh Mishra joined a new nationwide research and manufacturing consortium

Dr. Brandon Kuczenski, who is doing research on the resource requirements and environmental impacts of industrial technologies, joined the Institute's Economics & Policy Solutions Group

Solar3D, a Santa Barbara-based company whose technology development is guided by Institute faculty Nadir Dagli, recently acquired SUNworks

Seminar Videos

Please note that videos of "Game Changer: Unconventional Gas & Oil and the Energy Landscape" and the Arun Majumdar lecture are coming soon!


1/15--Gang Chen: Tailoring Solar and Thermal Radiation with Nanostructures for Energy Applications	1/22--Paul Blom: Transport and recombination in polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells

2/12--Jeff Tsao: Solid-State Lighting: Toward Smart & Ultra-Efficient Materials, Devices, Lamps & Systems	3/5--Richard Kaner: Exploring the Synthesis and Applications of Graphene

Upcoming Events

IEE/CEEM Seminars

April 15, ESB 1001: Marcel Filoche, Researcher & Assistant Laboratory Director, CNRS France

April 17, 4pm, ESB 1001: John Papanikolas, Professor of Physics & Deputy Director, EFRC on Solar Fuels, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Thank You to our Industry Partners