More news on the subject of solar power and nanotechnology, a topic that we have written about once here. Jin Zhang, a professor of chemistry at the University of California in Santa Cruz, is testing two nanotech methods for engineering solar cell materials that have shown particular promise, according to a statement released by the institution.
So are you ready for the technical bit?
One method uses thin films of metal oxide nanoparticles, such as titanium dioxide, doped with other elements, such as nitrogen. Another strategy employs quantum dots – nanosize crystals – that strongly absorb visible light. These tiny semiconductors inject electrons into a metal oxide film, or “sensitize” it, to increase solar energy conversion. Both doping and quantum dot sensitization extend the visible light absorption of the metal oxide materials.
Combining these two approaches appears to yield better solar cell materials than either one alone does, according to professor Zhang. Zhang led a team of researchers from California, Mexico, and China that created a thin film doped with nitrogen and sensitized with quantum dots. When tested, the new nanocomposite material performed better than predicted–as if the functioning of the whole material was greater than the sum of its two individual components.
“We have discovered a new strategy that could be very useful for enhancing the photo response and conversion efficiency of solar cells based on nanomaterials,” said Zhang. “We initially thought that the best we might do is get results as good as the sum of the two, and maybe if we didn’t make this right, we’d get something worse. But surprisingly, these materials were much better.”
For those interested in further technical details of the research, go here.
Thanks to Treehugger for the tip.
