Photogalvanic cells in chemistry classes
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In her research Diana Zeller developed an experimental kit "Chemistry in Experiments and Media - ChEM-TiO2" for chemistry lessons in high school classes. The focus of the contents were laid on the conversion of light energy into electrical energy.
The module "Alternative Solar Cells with Titanium Dioxide (ALSO-TiO2)" includes the alternative solar cells based on titanium dioxide with which the topic of solar cells can be integrated into chemistry lessons. The didactic anchor for this concept is the galvanic cell as an obligatory topic of electrochemistry in high school classes. The module "Research and Application of Titanium Dioxide (RATiO2)" focuses on the exploitation of the substance titanium dioxide with its three most important properties: absorption of UV light, photocatalytic properties and reflection of visible light. The three properties can be explored and experimentally and theoretically.
A comprehensive media package with print and digital formats was developed to support the learning process and to enable that the experiments can be implemented in regular chemistry lessons. The materials are differentiated according to learning performance, which can be used independently by the students. Furthermore, teacher versions of all materials have been developed. Based on empirical results from an eye-tracking study, an interactive animation was programmed as a digital format to make the processes in the photogalvanic cell accessible.
If you are interested in the experimental kit, send an email to zeller[at]uni-wuppertal.de.
