posted on Jun, 14 2005 @ 02:01 AM
Here is one of the articles from Phys Org News concerning photovoltaics. It is from the March 23rd newsletter. There is another article which covers
how quantum dots can cause photons to react in a way that gives conversion efficiencies of around 65%, or about twice as efficient as todays best
solar panel efficiencies (around 32-33%)
Companies' novel polymers and quantum dots target capturing broad spectrum of both visible and invisible light
Konarka Technologies, Inc., an innovator in developing and commercializing power plastics that convert light to energy, and Evident Technologies, a
leader in quantum dot development and applications, today announced the companies are collaborating on research to increase the sensitivity of plastic
solar cells to a wider range of the light spectrum. Using Konarka’s proprietary polymers and Evident’s quantum dots, the team is developing novel
materials that improve the overall performance of power plastic.
News archive
“As part of our continuing efforts to push photovoltaic science forward, we’ve learned how to get sensitivity outside the visible light spectrum,
including the infrared, with our polymers,” said Russell Gaudiana, Ph.D., vice president of research and development, Konarka. “This collaboration
is focused on determining the best materials to capture more light and how to manufacture them outside the lab environment.”
Evident’s proprietary EviDots™, which are high performance semiconductor nanocrystals active throughout the visible spectrum and into the
near–infrared, are being combined with Konarka’s conductive polymers to create ultra high performance solar cells that exceed the capabilities of
today’s best silicon-based technologies. The project is in keeping with both companies’ stated missions to offer high-efficiency, low-cost
materials in new form factors. The quantum dot power plastic could be used for demanding energy, communications and military applications, such as
battlefield or off-grid power generation.
“Through our proprietary nanotechnology, we uniquely design the optical and electronic properties of our EviDots. Our quantum dots are tuned to
absorb light over the solar spectrum from the visible through the infrared. This leads to harvesting a greater portion of energy, resulting in greater
efficiencies for solar cells,” commented Michael LoCascio, chief technology officer, Evident Technologies. “By combining our quantum dots with
Konarka’s innovative solar cell technology, together we are going to lead the way in making ultra high performance plastic solar cells a commercial
reality.”
This program with Evident complements Konarka’s ongoing efforts to develop different coat-able and printable chemistries for its light-activated
power plastic. Each chemistry can be tuned to a specific purpose, enabling customers to choose the performance that best suits the power requirements
of their devices, systems or structures.
As I recall, there was another article (with pictures) showing a way to vertically arrange the quantum dots so as to make them even more efficient at
converting sunlight into electricity.
I would have simply given the links to these articles, but I don't know how.
[edit on 14-6-2005 by Astronomer68]
[edit on 14-6-2005 by Astronomer68]
[edit on 14-6-2005 by Astronomer68]