Organic resins increase the efficiency of solar cells

A team of scientists led by chemistry professor Xiaoyang Zhu, at the University of Texas, Austin, USA, found that using organic plastic semiconductors could double. Quantities of electrons are harvested from a photon of sunlight.

"Producing solar cells from low-cost plastic semiconductors is an advantage, plus our discovery will help improve the solar-cell conversion efficiency of this solar cell," he said. Professor Zhu.

The results of this study were published in the journal Science , December 16, 2011.

The theoretical use of solar panels (with a silicon coating acting as an electrolyte) is about 31%, because most of the amount of solar energy (also called " " Solar panels " are referred to as solar panels that can not be converted into electricity (and lost in the form of heat). The extraction of "hot electrons" will increase the efficiency (up to 66%) of converting solar energy into electricity.

In the study published in the journal Science in 2010, Zhu's team demonstrated that these "hot electrons" could be recovered using semiconductor nanostructures, although Of course this is not a viable technology when it comes to practical applications.

To solve this problem, Zhu's team found that a photon produces a dark "shadow state," which helps capture two electrons at the same time, which will increase conversion efficiency. The solar power of the solar cell (made from organic plastic semiconductor).

"This mechanism of solar extraction increases the efficiency of solar cells by up to 44 percent, without focusing on the sun's beam, as well as the widespread use of solar cell technology in the field. global , " said Professor Zhu.

Mainly responsible for this study was Dr. Wai-lun Chan (in Professor Zhu's group), with the help of interns: Manuel Ligges, Askat Jailaubekov, Loren Kaake and Luis Miaja- Avila.

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy.