Nanotechnology Increases Efficiency of Plastic Solar Cells

22 April 2007

Researchers at Wake Forest University have increased the efficiency of plastic solar cells to better than 6 percent, and they are using Nanotechnology to obtain these results. Specifically, they are using Nano-filaments within the plastic, which act as veins that enable the cells to transmit electrical energy. Using the Nanofilaments makes it possible to add additional layers of absorption to the solar cells so that they can trap more light.

Plastic solar cells offer a significant advantages over traditional silicon based solar cells, both in terms of cost and durability. Silicon solar cells tend be heavier and bulkier, and convert 12 percent of the light they trap into electrical energy. Plastic solar cells, on the other hand, are cheaper and easier to manipulate; it is conceivable that they can be wrapped, twisted or painted onto structures, making them available to a wide variety of applications, and ultimately making wide-scale deployment of solar power a much more viable energy solution.

The limitations of plastic, or organic, solar cells, is their efficiency. Up until recently, 3 percent was the highest efficiency achieved. In 2005 Wake Forest University researchers proclaimed that they had been able to boost the efficiency to close to 5 percent. Now, the group claims they have surpassed the 6 percent threshold. While this is still only half the efficiency of silicon-based solar cells, researchers believe that within a year they can increase the efficiency of plastic solar cells to within 10 percent, making them viable for commercial use.

Plastic solar cells can be used in a wide variety of applications that would be impractical for silicon-based solar cells. For example, they can be used in housing construction products such as roof tiling, siding, and house facades. Lightweight and efficient, these plastic solar cells can also be used within automobiles without requiring the support mechanisms that their silicon-based counterparts would need. Space and military applications are being researched as well, such as satellite and spacecraft.

The breakthrough use of Nanotechnology in plastic solar cells will soon be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters.

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