Solar cells are thinner than spider silk

The solar cells that Austrian and Japanese scientists have announced are thinner than spider silk, with so much elasticity that they can be wrapped around the hair.

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"This device is not thick with a spider silk thread, meaning you can not feel its weight and elasticity," said Tsuyoshi Sekitani of Tokyo University and a member of the manufacturing group. 'You can attach this device to your clothes, your belongings to collect electricity from the sun, and so on.' 'Older people need to wear sensory devices to monitor their health and not carry other batteries.'

Sekitani said that it could make the batteries bigger. 'The power generation of solar cells increases with size. Because the device is very soft, it is difficult to break when bent and can be made to a larger size , " Sekitani said.

Sekitani said the team hopes to increase the conversion of solar energy into electricity from the battery and put it into use in about five years.

This is the work of Martin Kaltenbrunner, Siegfried Bauer and other scientists at Johannes Kepler University (Austria) and Sekitani and some members of the University of Tokyo.