laptop Batteries: Zinc oxide "nano spear" to enhance the efficiency of solar cells

Zinc oxide "nano spear" to enhance the efficiency of solar cells

Missouri University of Technology (MissouriUniversityofScienceandTechnology) the researchers said, will be a zinc oxide (ZnO) made of "nano-Spear (nanospears)" nail in the solar cell surface, will be able to expand its absorption spectra and thus improve the efficiency of solar cells.

And because this kind of hybrid materials can absorb light both light, the researchers said its use is expected to cover the ultra-UV laser (ultravioletlasers), broad-spectrum solid state lighting (wide-spectrumsolid-statelighting), and the new group of piezoelectric pieces (piezoelectricdevices) and so on.

"Zinc oxide absorbs UV spectrum close to the ultra-light," Professor JaySwitzer University of Missouri, said: "This near-infrared spectroscopy with the absorption of silicon complementary; if the above can be used both part of the spectrum, it could achieve higher solar cell efficiency. "

Switzer said in the past in the silicon oxide on a long attempt to have only limited success, mainly because it does not coordinate both the lattice; and researchers will be inclined axis of the crystal lattice of zinc oxide, to address the above problems, and make zinc oxide and silicon can be accurately matched.

Because zinc oxide is an unusual perspective on the length of the silicon, like the surface of the nail in silicon nano-size spears, as the solar cells can absorb over a longer UV wavelengths, but also can absorb the infrared wavelengths shorter .

The kind of spear zinc oxide crystal growth method is the use of a saturated solution of alkaline zinc silicon wafer submerged surface, director of the spear out of a diameter of about 100 nm to 200 nm, a length of about 1 micron (micron); arranged through an automated process, these nano-spear point will be accurate assembly in the crystalline silicon surface (self-assembled), the status of the lattice mismatch to a minimum.

Switzer said: "This system will be 51 degree angle, we have no involvement in the case of lattice matched to achieve." The team's next step is to produce solar cells: "The difficulty is that production and ZnO spear contact contact; one of the options is to make contact with the solution photoelectrochemical (photo-electrochemical) solar cells. "

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