|
|
Article: Polymer for solar cells has improved efficiency.(MATERIALS)
- Article from:
- High Performance Plastics
- Article date:
- January 1, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 International Newsletters. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Researchers have designed and synthesized a polymer to be used in solar cells that has significantly greater sunlight absorption and conversion capabilities than previous polymers.
The research team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA, found that substituting a silicon atom for a carbon atom in the backbone of the polymer markedly improved the material's photovoltaic properties. This silole-containing polymer can also be crystalline, giving it great potential as an ingredient for high-efficiency solar cells.
Polymer solar cells use organic compounds to produce electricity from sunlight. They are much cheaper to produce than ...
Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:
|