laptop Batteries: Pink solar cells capture more sunlight

Pink solar cells capture more sunlight

Ohio University researchers said, when production on the Earth's environment-friendly solar energy, the pink may be a new "green color." Scientists have developed a new dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The red dye used in the battery and the white metal oxide powder mixture showing pink, can capture sunlight.

Allegedly, these new pink materials, photoelectric conversion is the best material, although the conversion efficiency is only in commercial applications, half of silicon solar cells, but its cost is only a quarter of silicon solar cells.

Pink is the dye-sensitized solar cells most typical color. Most contain a ruthenium dye, ruthenium red. Mixed with red dye pink metal oxide powder is the most commonly used titanium oxide or zinc oxide, these two metal oxides are white. But researchers at Ohio University created a more innovative materials does have color, they used the metal complex, exploring different particle shapes to enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency.

This is the first time, researchers using non-single-oxide dye-sensitized solar cell manufacturing. Selected because of zinc stannate is zinc stannate series of complex oxides with tunable properties. This makes the next cut dye-sensitized solar cells possible.

Why dye-sensitized solar cell is pink, not the same as the blue silicon solar cells it? Traditional solar cells showing a blue anti-reflective coating because of the reason. These coatings improve the absorption of green light, green light is the solar energy spectrum, the strongest light. Ohio University researchers have not developed anti-reflective material coating materials.

Color determines the solar cell can capture the wavelength of light, so scientists can modify the color of the special characteristics of solar cell optimization. At present, the development of dye-sensitized solar cells, scientists have used ruthenium red dye to obtain the best results.

If you want to get the best efficiency, you need to take into account access to the voltage and current. Voltage is a potential material to provide energy; current is material to the amount of charge transfer. If you can absorb a very wide range of wavelengths, it will have to sacrifice voltage. If absorbed into the limit of very high energy, high voltage can be obtained, but they have to sacrifice current. Researchers are trying to find a balance.

60 years since the 20th century, since the silicon solar cells have emerged. Since the 20th century, scientists began developing the 90's dye-sensitized solar cells. In dye-sensitized solar cells, dye molecules cover the tiny metal oxide particles, and is stuffed with a thin film. Dye molecules capture light energy and release electrons, and metal oxide particles more like a wire, will be among the electronic transmission to the circuit, but the electronic transfer between the particles may be lost. This is the researchers are designing the merger will be tiny nanowires to transfer electrons directly to the circuit reasons.

They also explore the possibility of using nano-trees - like the shape of nanowires, like tree branches. Which absorb light and transfer the current structure is the best structure? Researchers believe that tree! Leaves provide a large surface area for capturing light, the branches will be transferred to the roots of nutrition. In their dye-sensitized solar cell design, dye particles will provide coverage of the surface area, nano-trees grow between the branches in these leaves, transfer electrons.

Therefore, dye-sensitized solar cells the future growth of a tiny pink will be the "tree", but other colors are also possible. Researchers are studying to work better in the new dyes and dye compounds.

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