Forskeruddannelse Nanoteknologi > Students > Interviews > PhD, CEO
PhD, CEO and among the best scientists within his field
He has finished his PhD with honours and are among the top scientists in his field. But besides being a PhD, Martin Aagesen is also CEO. While writing his PhD thesis he established the company Sunflake A/S in cooperation with the University of Copenhagen and SEED Capital Denmark.
In his PhD project Martin Aagesen worked with Molecular Beam Epitaxy, which is an advanced method to produce semiconductor nano components. Using MBE he has developed 1-dimensional nanowires.
- The nanowires that I produce is made using a more pure method than other available wires , and I therefore believe they have a great potential, says Martin Aagesen.
It was during the cultivation of his nanowires that Martin coincidentally discovered the nanoflakes that are now the basis of his company Sunflake.
- We discovered a perfect crystalline structure. You rarely find that in typical nanowires. At the same time we also noticed that it absorbed all light. It is therefore the perfect solar cell, Martin Aagesen explains.
Because it is difficult to transform solar energy into electricity, less than one per cent of the worlds electricity is generated from the sun. Martin's solar cells could be a big leap towards utilising solar energy at a much larger scale.
- There are great perspectives in the flakes and during the coming months I will work determinedly at cultivating them, says Martin Aagesen. He expects to get a proof of concept by the end of the year.
The discovery of the unusual nanoflakes is but one of the results Martin has produced through his PhD thesis. And he also emphasises that his nanowires has been used by others to demonstrate quantum phenomena that has never before been observed in this type of nano structure.
Martin Aagesen completed his PhD at the Nano-Scence Center and Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen and has been connected with the Copenhagen Graduate School for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
Read more about Sunflake A/S