| Bundles of nanotubes boosts solar cells |
|
|
 When a photon hits the stack of carbon nanotubes generated by an electron-pairs of holes. The electron and hole are separated at the interface between carbon nanotubes in bundles. Both steps are essential for power to be generated. Photo: J. Crochet, Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Bundles of nanotubes does the trick for the efficiency of thin film solar cells. The claim U.S. researchers. The goal is photovoltaics of graphene and carbon nanotubes.
Cheaper, lighter and more malleable. The advantages of thin film solar
cells compared to conventional solar cells of silicon are numerous. But
so far, the efficiency was lower.
It may be about to change since scientists at the U.S. Los Alamos National Laboratory demonstrated that bundles of carbon nanotubes is superior to both absorb sunlight as well as generating power of the captured photons.
But it will not do with the carbon nanotubes at any time. Jared Crochet
and his colleagues discovered that the phenomenon requires that carbon
nanotubes created in the same way, either by rolling them in the crowd
from left to right or vice versa. Or in other words, they should have
the same chirality.
By spin nanotubes, they were up bundles of tubes with the same chiral properties.
When a photon hits the stack of carbon nanotubes generated by an
electron-pairs of holes which are then separated from each other and
helps to generate electricity.
The bundles react to light in the same way as the parent material
graphene, and separate charges efficiently, said Jared Crochet.
The effect is not observed in single nanotube in which electron-hålparet rapidly absorbed in the material.
The bundles researcher chose absorb light at a wavelength of 570 nanometers. According to Jared Crochet is ideal for sunlight.
The effect shows that bundles of nanotubes could act as an active layer in thin film solar cells, he says.
The researchers will now test. The objective is a solar cell structure of graphene, graphene oxide and bundles of nanotubes. The results of the studies have been published in the journal Physics Review Letters.
|
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
