![\"Collins\"](\"http:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Collins.jpg\")
<\/a>Collins<\/p><\/div>The free, public lecture, \u201cPolarized Wave Probes for Thin-Film Photovoltaics: From the Lab to the Production Line,\u201d will take place Wednesday, April 1, at 4 p.m. in Memorial Field House Room 2100 with a reception to follow.<\/p>\n
Collins holds the positions of Distinguished University Professor, NEG Endowed Chair of Silicate and Materials Science, and co-director of the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization in the UT Department of Physics and Astronomy. <\/p>\n
He will speak about his work with the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, recent developments in second-generation photovoltaics in his group\u2019s laboratory, and how it impacts second-generation photovoltaics in use today.<\/p>\n
Second-generation or thin-film photovoltaic modules incorporate several thin layers of different solid-state materials applied to low-cost substrates such as glass or stainless steel foil for direct conversion of sunlight to electricity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an exciting time for this technology. In addition to their application for utility scale power, thin-film photovoltaics have a wider range of applications that rely on its potential for flexibility, lightweight and portability, as an example, generating emergency power for disaster relief,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThe potential exists for low-cost manufacturing of thin-film photovoltaics, which have been realized by the industry leaders. <\/p>\n
\u201cA key goal, however, is to translate the recent significant efficiency improvements made in the laboratory to the production line.\u201d<\/p>\n
At UT Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, a team of faculty, staff and students are developing and applying diagnostic probes of thin-film photovoltaic material systems using polarized electromagnetic waves. The team also is collaborating with local companies such as Calyxo and NSG Pilkington to advance second-generation photovoltaics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe value the opportunity to work with Toledo area companies to advance this technology,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n
In 2004, he joined The University of Toledo, where his interests span from condensed matter physics to optical and materials sciences with applications in photovoltaic devices, optical instrumentation and metrology.<\/p>\n
Collins was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2014 for \u201cadvancing the understanding of the optical properties and structures of thin-film materials and devices, for innovations in real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry, and for leadership of research collaborations of industrial, government and university laboratories.\u201d<\/p>\n
He received a bachelor\u2019s degree from Clark University and master\u2019s and doctoral degrees in applied physics from Harvard University. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr. Robert Collins, Distinguished University Professor, NEG Endowed Chair of Silicate and Materials Science, will talk about photovoltaics research Wednesday, April 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":646,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,39,3,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33535"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33535"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61978,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33535\/revisions\/61978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}