Making Better Solar Cells
7 October 2007, 13:55
Categories: smt-energy-photovoltaic nanocomposites
Scientists at Washington University in Saint Louis, USA, have used a new model to design an optical nanocomposite made of copper, silver and gold for use in solar cell applications. Such nanocomposites, which could easily be coated onto existing solar cells made from silicon, could be optimally tuned to the solar spectrum for the first time, so enhancing the light-absorbing efficiency of these devices.
“One of the key steps in efficient solar energy harvesting is to absorb as much of the incident solar energy as possible,” explained Ramki Kalyanaraman of Washington University. “Since the Sun’s emission is over a large, broadband, spectrum, our primary objective was to design a glass that absorbs over the entire visible range (from about 350 to 800 nm),” he told nanotechweb.org.
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Posted by: The Editors
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