Manufacture of flexible, semi-transparent plastic cells from ultra-thin materials

Graphene, germanium, and many other elements have become a fascinating field of research for scientists to create materials for the future. These include tungsten and selenium sheets with promising properties that are used to make ultra-thin, flexible, and semi-transparent solar cells.

>>> New materials for the technology sector

Previously, researchers used graphene to make solar cells. "Photovoltaic generation from graphene is not practical," said Thomas Mueller at the Vienna University of Technology .

That's why Mueller and his team have been looking for and producing a type of solar cell composed of a layer of tungsten atoms clustered between two layers of selenium. The end result is a Tungsten Diselenide (WSe2) material that absorbs light similar to graphene but simultaneously converts light into electrical energy.

Each individual WSe2 plate can allow 95% of light through, 5% will be retained and converted to electricity. Maybe this number is not great but the scientists point out that if stacking multiple layers together will result in much better absorption and switching power.

In addition, it is the WSe2's high transparency that can be applied to solar panels placed on windows to generate electricity and to bring natural light into buildings. In addition, the flexible and flexible nature of the cell phone enables the creation of photovoltaic cells for mobile devices or even on the display of the phone in the near future.

The research results of the project have been published in the journal Nature, which shows the potential for this new potential material.