A U researcher working to make organic solar cells a cheap and effective source of power was recently honored with an award for his years of effort.
Valy Vardeny, a distinguished physics professor at the U, won the annual Rosenblatt Prize and accompanying $40,000 in funding from the Rosenblatt family, who years ago gave the U their home as a residence for future U presidents.
Vardeny was on sabbatical to Israel when U President Michael Young called to inform him of the good news. The professor said he feels honored by the award.
“I wake up at 6:30 rather than 7:30 or 8 just because I’m so excited,” Vardeny said.
The $40,000 prize money will likely go toward funding research, which8212;between the four main research projects Vardeny leads8212;takes up a lot of his time.
One part of his research involves enhancing energy conversion efficiency in organic solar cells, which are cheaper, more flexible and environmentally friendlier than using inorganic materials, such as silicon.
And besides continuous research, which Vardeny said is a result of endless curiosity, the U professor also teaches multiple graduate and doctoral students in laboratory research.
“When I go to talk to him, even for 15 minutes, I come out of there with a lot more knowledge,” said Golda Hukic, a physics graduate student who works in one of Vardeny’s labs.
He and his students are trying to solve a solar energy problem8212;how to convert more of the solar energy and waste less.
“From all the light that comes into organic cells, about 6 percent of the light gets converted into electricity,” Hukic said. “We are trying to increase that.”
The goal is to convert at least 10 percent of the sun’s energy. Inorganic materials can reach more than 30 percent efficiency, but with organic materials, solar cells could be transparent and could be spread on much larger surfaces, such as roofs and windows, Hukic said.
Besides finding more energy-efficient materials, Vardeny also continues research and testing to diagnose various types of cancer. He also tests magnetic fields.
“The magnetic field has a large effect on (electric) current. The people who complain about radiation from high voltage transmission lines, they are probably correct8212;it can affect the physiology of people,” Vardeny said.