Nigerian PhD Researcher at Michigan State Advances Affordable Solar Technology, Elected to U.S. Research Honor Society, Sigma Xi

Ugo Aliogo

Nigerian-born PhD researcher, Michael Adesanya is developing a new generation of low-cost Dye-sensitized solar cells, at Michigan State University, aiming for devices that work reliably in everyday light and can be built and maintained with simple tools.

Energy should not be a luxury, once local workshops in communities can easily manufacture and maintain these cells with benchtop tools, solar becomes everyday infrastructure,” Adesanya told ThisDay.

Silicon photovoltaics are rigid wafers like microchips that work well in direct sunlight and manufactured in costly factories. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are different. They capture light using porous titanium dioxide film coated in dye, while an electrolyte transport charges through the device. They have greater adaptability as compared to silicon-based devices for everyday conditions: they are lighter, flexible, simpler to build and work well in indoor or low-light conditions where silicon underperforms. They can thrive in cloudiness, shade and indirect lighting conditions. DSSCs are also easy to incorporate into windows, sensors, tags and other small devices.

At Michigan state University, Adesanya latest findings are reported in the American Chemical Society Journal, Energy&fuels test on a homoleptic copper (I) complex that seeks to simplify the cell’s architecture by doing two jobs at once; it simultaneously absorbs light and serves as the redox shuttle that moves charge. The device combines a thin titanium-oxide photoanode with a conductive polymer counter electrode which is sealed so the electrolyte stays stable. In lab measurements under standard sunlight conditions, the team-built cells on FTO glass with a mesoporous TiO2 layer (~11 μm, 30 nm particles), paired with a platinized counter electrode and 25μm surlyn spacing, and filled them with an acetonitrile electrolyte containing copper charge carriers and a standard lithium salt (LiPF6).

To tune performance, the researchers introduced a common DSSC additive, 4-Tert-butylpyridine (TBP). With TBP in electrolyte, the cells delivered an open circuit voltage of 0.65 Volts, short-circuit current of 0.097 mA/Cm2 and a Power conversion efficiency of about 0.045% under same test conditions. Just as important, TBP changes the chemistry of the copper chromophore in a way that reduce unwanted recombination helping the device hold its voltage. The spectral response matches the copper complex at the heart of the design, suggesting that the current limit is getting electrons into the TiO2 rather than moving them once they’re there. Next, the team is working to enhance the device to be more durable and repeatable outside a specialized lab by pushing for more current without sacrificing voltage by fine-tuning the chemistry that feeds electrons into TiO2.

For Nigeria, he argues, the appeal is manufacturability and skills. The process can be taught in polytechnics and technical colleges, building hands-on expertise, shortening supply chains, and reducing exposure to foreign exchange risk from importing finished systems. Early application targets include window-tint power films for offices, IoT sensors for farms and logistics as well as classroom devices that operates on indoor light.

Adesanya’s personal story certainly gives a strong reason to study. While growing up, he wondered why power could not be dependable, cheaper and common in Nigeria. The experiences that resulted in his education at Michigan State University education in inorganic and materials chemistry, exposure to energy problems that are more societal than purely technical, and a desire to translate laboratory results into capabilities that can be taught informs the way he defines success today.

This year, Adesanya’s work earned him election as an Associate member of Sigma Xi, the U.S. research honor society founded in 1886 whose membership has included numerous Nobel laureates. Membership is conferred based on nomination and review, reflecting peer confidence in a researcher’s contribution. It’s a rare nod at the PhD Stage. He treats it as momentum. “An encouragement for getting the devices off lab benches into real life.”

Adesanya conducts his research in Michigan State University Department of Chemistry under Professor Thomas W. Hamann.