Mira Abed with her sisters, Erica (left) and Sasha (right). Photo courtesy of Abed.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nRight now, I\u2019m working on a technology called dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). DSSCs work by using a dye to absorb light, and then capturing excited electrons from those dye molecules in an electrical circuit. This is a widely-researched technology, but even with all the work that has been done there are several problems \u2013 but that\u2019s okay, because I love problem-solving!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the dyes that are best for DSSCs contain a rare and expensive metal called ruthenium. It\u2019s rarer than gold and platinum; more in the osmium and tellurium ballpark (don\u2019t worry if you didn\u2019t notice those at the bottom of your periodic table). While ruthenium might make some good solar cells, it is cheaper and more sustainable to use more abundant metals, or even metal-free dyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Substituting another metal for ruthenium is not as easy as it may sound. Ruthenium has some pretty cool photochemical properties that make it a really good candidate for DSSCs, so any dye that can replace a ruthenium dye has to make up for that loss in other ways. Along with some other researchers around the world, I\u2019m trying to make solar cells with cheaper metals that can compete with their ruthenium-based cousins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is what I use my creativity for now. Instead of designing the latest fashions, I\u2019m designing new dyes. Instead of spending my days drowning in colorful fabrics, I\u2019m juggling colorful (and sometimes stinky) solutions. My hope is that my ideas can help sustain our future world, and that all of us who work in renewable energy can see our work implemented for the common good.<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Discover how a fascination with color led one researcher from fashion design to solar cell technology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":23129,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"caption\":\"\",\"displayCategoryID\":2131}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[490,512,502,479],"tags":[670,644,671],"class_list":["post-24890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-people","category-research-and-innovation","category-student-success","category-tecs","tag-doctoral","tag-fiber-and-polymer-science","tag-polymer-and-color-chemsitry"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"
This is What Science Looks Like at NC State: Mira Abed - Wilson College of Textiles<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n