November 15, 2005 Source: University of Toronto:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051115-1811.asp Engineering professor named to Scientific American Nov 15/05
by Nicolle Wahl A U of T scientist at the forefront of nanotechnology research has been named to the 2005 Scientific American 50 – an annual list recognizing outstanding leaders in science and technology from the past year. Professor Edward (Ted) H. Sargent of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering was named a Research Leader in the ranking, which appears in the December issue of Scientific American. Sargent was recognized for advancing the field of solar energy – specifically by developing paintable solar cells that can absorb infrared light, a discovery that could dramatically enhance solar cell performance. "This tremendous honour came as a wonderful surprise," said Sargent. "Through the award, Scientific American is celebrating the creativity, determination and strategy of the graduate students and post-doctoral researchers in my team at the University of Toronto, who turned an idea into a tangible breakthrough." According to editor-in-chief John Rennie, "The Scientific American 50 is our annual opportunity to salute the people and organizations worldwide whose research, policy or business leadership has played a major role in bringing about the science and technology innovations that are improving the way we live and offer the greatest hope for the future." While Sargent has gained international recognition for his research in nanotechnology and fiber-optic communications materials, he is a relative newcomer to the field of solar energy. In January 2005, he and his research team reported in the journal Nature Materials that a paintable infrared sensing material in his lab could convert infrared light into electricity. "Today’s large, flexible plastic solar cells convert up to five per cent of the sun’s radiant energy into electrical power," said Sargent. "They miss the infrared portion entirely — half of the sun’s power. Capturing the sun’s infrared rays could at least double plastic solar cell efficiency. In fact, theory shows that harnessing each colour of the visible and infrared rainbow could raise the capture rate to 30 per cent." Ted Sargent holds the Canada Research Chair in Nanotechnology at the University of Toronto. His book The Dance of Molecules: How Nanotechnology is Changing Our Lives (Penguin) was released in October 2005. Since 2004, he has been Visiting Professor of Nanotechnology and Photonics in the Microphotonics Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2003, Sargent was named one of the world’s top young innovators by MIT’s Technology Review, and in 2002, he was honoured by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research as one of Canada’s top 20 researchers under age 40.
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