|
|
|
www.southgatearc.org
|
Carbon-Based Solar CellScienceDaily reports on work towards developing a Solar Cell based on low cost Carbon. To make large sheets of carbon available for light collection, Indiana University Bloomington chemists have devised an unusual solution -- attach what amounts to a 3-D bramble patch to each side of the carbon sheet. Our interest stems from wanting to find an alternative, readily available material that can efficiently absorb sunlight," said chemist Liang-shi Li, who led the research. "At the moment the most common materials for absorbing light in solar cells are silicon and compounds containing ruthenium. Each has disadvantages." Their main disadvantage is cost and long-term availability. Ruthenium-based solar cells can potentially be cheaper than silicon-based ones, but ruthenium is a rare metal on Earth, as rare as platinum, and will run out quickly when the demand increases. Carbon is cheap and abundant, and in the form of graphene, capable of absorbing a wide range of light frequencies. Graphene shows promise as an effective, cheap-to-produce, and less toxic alternative to other materials currently used in solar cells. Read the full ScienceDaily article 'Closing in on a Carbon-Based Solar Cell' at
• Thanks to George Boorer ZL3PN for spotting this item and congratulations to him on receiving a certificate from the New Zealand Old Timers Club (OTC) for 60 years of Amateur Service. New Zealand OTC
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
