Louis Isadore Kahn Architect: Fisher House

Louis Isadore Kahn Architect: Fisher House Louis Isadore Kahn was born on February 20, 1901 on the Island of Saaremaa, Estonia to Leopold and Bertha Mendelsohn. Upon emmigrating to the state of Philadelphia in the U.S, the early part of the familys life was marked by extreme poverty as Kahns father suffered a terrible back injury which forced the family to lean heavily on the knitted clothing samples produced by Kahns mother for financial stability. In his younger years Kahn had suffered severe burns to his face because he got too close to a collection of burning coals; when asked about why he defied his senses, Kahn said that he was attracted by the beautiful colours of the embers. This tragic accident suggests that Kahn experienced much curiosity from a very young age, for materials and their means, hence why he got so close to the burning coals. It is believed that Kahns first architectural masterpiece was the Yale University Art Gallery (1951-1953). This contribution complemented Kahns modernistic approach because it presented how he interpreted the environment which surrounded that particular area where the Gallery was built. For instance, the interior spaces seemed to evoke an entirely different world from the brash mass-produced outside environment. Kahn achieved this by using standardized panels, suspended ceilings, subtle effects of light falling over the triangulated web of the concrete ceiling and by the direct use of materials, evident in the bare yet elegant concrete piers. Kahns method of design was influenced by his schooling under the Beaux-Arts system at Philadelphia lead by Paul Cret. In Kahns education great emphasis was placed upon the discovery of a central and appropriate generating idea for a building which was to be captured in a sketch, rather like an ideogram. This approach to teaching was supposed to educate young architects with old lessons. This influence appears evident in Kahns work due to the appreciation he presents for the materials. It was supposed that Kahn would talk to the materials being used in his designs. Kahns immersion in the artistic realm was shaped by two individuals, both of whom were products of Thomas Eakins Romantic Realism teaching method, J. Liberty Tadd and William Gray. J. Liberty Tadd, teacher at the Public Industrial Art School, worked directly under Eakins and crafted his teaching style closely to Eakins methodology. Tadd pushed students to ?nd their own means of expression rather than teach through regulated norms. Central High School teacher William Gray studied under Eakins-disciple Thomas P. Anshutz at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts from 1889-1891. Furthermore Kahn developed a structural-Rationalist emphasis on construction, and in later life several of his strongest ideas relied upon poetic interpretations of basic structural ideas. Kahn had learned much from Le Corbusiers Vers une architecture and learned much from Sullivan and Wright and later from Mies van der Rohe. Kahn had the ability to avoid some of the shortfalls experienced by other major U.S architects; he was capable of handling problems of a large size without degenerating into either an additive approach or an overdone grandiosity. For instance, he knew how to fuse together modern constructional means with traditional methods. Ultimately, this demonstrates Kahns modernistic outlook between the juxtaposing materials and the impression they had on that particular building whilst maintaing the buildings principle function. The Fisher House is an example whereby Louis Kahn demonstrates his modernistic influences yet traditional means of design; this is a prime example where Kahn uses his progressive style of teaching which is expanded on above. Kahn was said to have treated his housing projects as experiments and the Fisher House was no exception. The Fisher family would at times grow tiresome of Kahns constant need to find fault with his design then proceed to start from scratch once again. However, this gave him opportunities to explore many of the unique ideas which he himself had formed. The Fisher House was located on a site which sloped gently down from a main road to a small stream. It consists of three cubes, two large ones connected together and a small, seperate one. These cubes, together with the existing trees, form two inter-connected outdoor spaces: an entrance court and a kitchen court. This idea shows how Kahn utilises the old with the new, for instance the aged trees and new cubic shaped rooms whilst maintaining the use of the rooms. Furthermore two large cubes, connected diagonally, contain two distinct groups of activities. The first cube contains an entrance and the master bedroom suite with dressing room and bathroom on the first floor and two smaller bedrooms on the second floor. The second cube is connected by a large opening to the entrance lobby. The two-story-high first floor contains the kitchen and the living areas seperated by a free-standing stone fireplace. Fisher House This image supports the abstract above, whereby the cubic rooms are designed for particular activities that the Fisher family partake in. The particular design of the building creates a fluidity throughout because each room is lay out in a particular order, which has been carefully thought out by Kahn yet, appears effortless when walking through the house. It shows that Kahn was particularly talented in imagining the final house and how its occupants would use it. The preservation of architecturally significant structures has begun to experience a shift in both style and future use. The tide has shifted towards structures that were both disdained and revered during their time. Modernist structures, while simplistic in form and function, contain a high degree of embedded meaning and significance for the materials used. Kahns use of traditional forms, augmented by the precision of modern technology throughout his work represents his multifaceted approach to design, attempting to appeal to both the psyche and the materials, themselves, in order to maintain their trueness to Form. Kahn was not merely recycling traditionalism, but rather retranslating known forms in both assembly and aesthetics in order to convey a certain aura. To conclude, it could be suggested that Louis Kahn was a significant architect because he was ahead of his time. This was due to to his appreciation for new technology in a changing world, yet upholding the importance of the materials themselves which was a classical portrayal of design. PbS Quantum Dots: Synthesis and Optical Properties PbS Quantum Dots: Synthesis and Optical Properties Sruti Hemachandran Menon Abstract— PbS quantum dots have attracted more attention in quantum dot sensitized solar cells as sensitizers on photoanode because of its high efficiency, high absorption coefficient and broad range of absorption. In this paper, we synthesized PbS quantum dots on the glass substrate coated with TiO2 paste by SILAR (Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction) method The quantum dot size was varied by varying the number of cycles and the UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer ,XRD Diffractometer and AFM were used to characterize the quantum dots. Index Terms—Quantum dot sensitized solar cells, quantum dots, SILAR. INTRODUCTION Quantum dot sensitized solar cells are the next generation solar cells because of their ability to absorb more light owing to its high surface to volume ratio, size dependent optical properties, ease of fabrication and low cost. Most of the research has been done for II-VI semiconductor compounds and out of these compounds PbS is found to have more efficiency and more absorption coefficient. Moreover it has high Bohr radius (around 18nm) [1] which gives it stronger quantum confinement and broadens the optical absorption area. PbS quantum dots have wide absorption range covering visible and near infrared,[2]. In this paper, we have focussed on the development of PbS quantum dot layer on the electrode for solar cell application as a photoanode. For maximum electron transport from quantum dot sensitizer to the electrode an intermediate layer of TiO2 is deposited on the glass substrate by Doctor Blade method. The layer after appropriate heat treatment is subjected to the SILAR(Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction) process where the lead sulphide quantum dots are deposited by use of appropriate concentration of precursors and proper dipping and rinsing times. The size of the quantum dots are varied by increasing the SILAR cycles. The advantage of SILAR over other techniques is that the synthesis takes place at room temperature and is simple.The optical characteristics and diameter of the quantum dots are characterized by UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer and Contact-mode Atomic Force Microscope imaging. The phase and type of PbS formed is determined by Xray diffractometer. II. EXPERIMENTAL SECTION A. Materials Titanium dioxide(TiO2) nanopowder-20nm anatase phase , 2M nitric acid (HNO3) were required for the preparation of TiO2 paste and methanolic solutions of Lead Nitrate(PbNO3),methanol and sodium sulphide( Na2S) were used for the SILAR process and acetone for cleaning purposes. B. Preparation of TiO2 film The Titanium dioxide paste is prepared by making a mixture of 1.2g of TiO2 nanopowder and 0.6mL of 2M conc. nitric acid (HNO3).This paste is uniformly formed on the glass substrate by doctor blade method in which the TiO2 paste is deposited on one end of the area marked by tapes and uniformly spread by using a blade or a glass slide. The TiO2 coated glass was then dried at 80oC for half an hour followed by annealing at 450oC for 30 mins. This improved the adsorption of the TiO2 film. C. Synthesis of PbS quantum dot on the TiO2 coated glass by SILAR method For coating PbS quantum dots by SILAR method, the TiO2 coated glass is successively dipped in methanolic solution of 0.02M Pb(NO)3 and methanolic solution of 0.02M Na2S for 1 min each. Lower the molarity more dispersed is the quantum dot deposition on the TiO2. Between each dipping the substrate is rinsed with methanol for 1 min and air dried for some time to remove the excess precursors. This is one cycle which was repeated for increasing the quantum dot sizes. Figure 1 shows the colour variation observed with change in the SILAR cycles. It was observed the colour of the film changed from white (TiO2) to reddish black in colour when the SILAR cycle was increased to 4 cycles. With increase in the cycles, the particle size increased and hence the energy bandgap Eg decreased indicated by the colour change in the film.3] Fig.1. Sample images showing the colour changes with increase in the SILAR cycles D. Characterization UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer ( Jasco Spectrophoto-meter V670) was used to observe the absorption properties of TiO2 and TiO2 coated PbS quantum dots. The absorption plots were taken using glass slides as the reference and the wavelength range extended from UV to near Infrared. It provided the information like increase in the absorption after depositing PbS and also bandgap information from tauc plot. The Xray diffractometer was used to obtain the diffraction patterns of the TiO2 and PbS films and to identify the phases and type of quantum dot obtained. III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Structure and Surface Morphology Figure 2a and 2b shows the XRD pattern of glass slide/TiO2 and glass slide/TiO2/PbS film obtained from four SILAR cycles respectively. The pattern shows peaks of glass, TiO2 and PbS. The bulging shape and noisy peaks observed in the XRD is due to the amorphous glass. Also the peaks of TiO2 are more prominent in 2b due to thin coating of PbS. The comparison of TiO2 XRD and JCPSD 21-1272 confirms its anatase phase and tetragonal crystal form. The XRD of TiO2 matches with JCPSD data at 26.3o (011), 37.3o (004), 43.03o (220), 48.08o (020), 53.83o (015), 5.12o (121), 62.5o (400) and 68.8o (331). The XRD of glass slide/TiO2/PbS coincides at 25.3o (011), 37.9o (004), 48.08o (020), 53.93o (015) and 55.12o (121) values of 2ÃŽ ¸ of JCPSD 21-1272 confirming presence of TiO2 anatase form and coincides at 43.09o (220), 62.5o (400), 68.8o (331) values of 2ÃŽ ¸ of JCPSD 05-0592 confirming the cubic form of PbS galena. [4] Fig. 2. XRD Pattern of (a) glass slide / TiO2 showing the presence of tetragonal anatase form of TiO2 (b) glass slide / TiO2 / PbS showing cubic of PbS galena and anatase tetragonal TiO2 Optical Properties The absorption v/s wavelength curve and the tauc plot obtained from UV-Vis-NIR Spectrometer and Diffusive Reflectance Spectrometer respectively are shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig.3. Absorption Curves of (a) TiO2/PbS. Inset:Absorbance v/s Wavelength curve of PbS film (reproduced from ref [5]) (b) TiO2 and TiO2/PbS showing 60% increase in absorption due to deposition of PbS quantum dots. The absorption curve of TiO2/PbS in Fig.3a shows a TiO2 peak at 343 nm along with a peak at 400nm and broad range of absorption which is the peculiarity of PbS quantum dots. This is confirmed from the inset plot reproduced from ref. [5]. PbS quantum dots have absorption edge in the Infrared region which is beyond the range of the plot. Fig.3b shows the absorption difference between TiO2 and PbS coated TiO2. From the curve it is clear that TiO2/PbS absorb more and the percentage increase in the absorption is estimated to be 66.7% from the plot. Fig.4. Tauc Plot of (a) TiO2 showing bandgap of 2.67 eV (b) TiO2/PbS showing the bandgap value of 2.289eV Fig.4a shows the tauc plot of TiO2 which is (ÃŽ ±hÏ…) 0.5 versus hÏ…. This is due to the indirect nature of TiO2. From the plot it can be inferred that the bandgap of the 20 nm TiO2 is 2.67 eV. Fig.4b shows the tauc plot of TiO2/PbS which is the plot of (ÃŽ ±hÏ…)2 versus hÏ….[4] The linearity of the tauc plot confirms its direct transition and the extrapolation of the linear portion on the x-axis gives the bandgap value of 2.289eV. The bandgap thus obtained is more than the bulk bandgap of PbS which is around 0.4eV. This increase is due to the decrease of size as compared to the bulk. The particle size can be estimated from the bandgap value using the empirical formula developed by Iwan Moreels et al. [6] Where Eg is the optical bandgap and d is the estimated size. The estimated size corresponding to the 2.289eV bandgap value is 1.64nm. IV CONCLUSION The photoanode for the solar cell was thus made by depositing PbS quantum dots on TiO2 coated glass substrate using SILAR method. From the spectrophotometer plots, the TiO2/PbS film was observed to give 66.7% more absorbance as compared to only TiO2 film. Also the particle size of 1.64nm was estimated from the tauc plot. The increase in the absorption even with a very small particle size of PbS makes it a very good sensitizer for quantum dot sensitized solar cells as compared to other quantum dots. However the hazards due to its poisonous nature urge the need for a good alternative. REFERENCES [1] Abdelrazek Mousa, â€Å"Synthesis and Characterization of PbS Quantum Dots†, Lund University,2011 [2] Sawanta S. Mali, Shital K. Desai, Smita S. Kalagi, Chirayath A. Betty, Popatrao N. Bhosale, Rupesh S. Devan, Yuan-Ron Mad and Pramod S. Patila , â€Å"PbS quantum dot sensitized anatase TiO2 nanocorals for quantum dot-sensitized solar cell applications† , Dalton Trans., 2012, 41, 6130 [3] Hyo Joong Lee, Peter Chen, Soo-Jin Moon, Frederic Sauvage, Kevin Sivula, Takeru Bessho, Daniel R. Gamelin, Pascal Comte, Shaik M. Zakeeruddin, Sang II Seok, Michael Gratzel and Md. K. Nazeeruddin, â€Å"Regenerative PbS and CdS Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells with Cobalt Complex as Hole Mediator†, American Chemical Society,2009,25(13),7602-7608 [4] A.U.Ubale, A.R.Junghare, N.A. Wadibhasme, A.S Daryapurkar, R.B.Mankar, V.S.Sangawar, â€Å"Thickness Dependent Structural, Electrical and Optical Properties of Chemically Deposited Nanoparticle PbS Thin Films†, Turk J Phys, 2007, 31,279-286 [5] Lidan Wang, Dongxu Zhao, Zisheng Sui and Dezhen Shen, â€Å"Hybrid polymer/ZnO solar cells sensitized by PbS quantum dots†, Nanoscale Reasearch Letters, 2012, 7:106 [6] Iwan Moreels, Karel Lambert, Dries Smeets, David De Muynck, Tom Nollet, Jose C Martins, Frank Vanhaeke, Andre Vantomme, Christophe Delerue, Guy Allan and Zeger Hens, â€Å"Size Dependent Optical Properties of Colloidal PbS Quantum Dots†, ACS Nano,2009, Vol 3,10,3023-3030