Jun 11 2010
Recently, researchers of Boston College have reported that a nano-size solar cell that drew inspiration by the coaxial cable provides higher efficiency in comparison with formerly developed nanotech thin-film solar cell by solving the “thick & thin” issue inherent to harnessing light and generating electricity. This report was made in the online version of the Physica Status Solidi journal.
For a long time, competing electronic and optical constraints have hindered the quest for achieving high energy conversion efficiency rates in many thin-film solar cells. A solar cell needs to be thick enough for collecting light energy and also thin enough for extracting electricity. Boston College physicists have found a method to overcome the “thick & thin” problem by means of a coaxial cable-based nanoscale solar architecture.
Michael Naughton, a physics professor at Boston College, stated that many groups across the globe develop nanowire-type solar cells, many utilize crystalline semiconductors. However, nanocoax cell architecture does not need crystalline materials, and hence provides low-cost solar energy with ultra-thin absorbers.
The researchers reported in the Rapid Research Letters of Physica Status Solidi that the nanocoax is thick enough for capturing sunlight; still its architecture is thin enough for extracting electricity. The nanocoax cells, built with amorphous silicon, deliver 8% more energy conversion efficiency, which is more than nanoscale thin-film solar cells.
Source: http://www.bc.edu/