Silver Nanoparticles Give Polymer Solar Cells a Boost

Summary posted by Meridian on 10/6/2009
Source: Ohio State University
Author: Pam Frost Gorder

Researchers at Ohio State University, United States, have discovered that adding silver nanoparticles to plastic in solar cell polymers boosts the materials' electrical current generation. Paul Berger, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and physics, and team leader for the project, measured the amount of electrical current generated per square centimeter by an experimental solar cell polymer and found that those with silver nanoparticles generated 7.0 milli-amps, an amount nearly 12 percent higher than those without the nanoparticles. Berger said this work could go a long way toward making polymer solar cells commercially viable, saying "[T]he light absorption of polymer solar cells is inadequate today. The top-performing materials have an overall efficiency of about 5 percent. Even with the relatively low production cost of polymers compared to other solar cell materials, you'd still have to boost that efficiency to at least 10 percent to turn a profit. One way to do that would be to expand the range of wavelengths that they absorb. Current polymers only absorb a small portion of the incident sunlight." Berger added that fine-tuning of spacing and sizing of the particles would likely improve the efficiency by several percent more. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

The original article may still be available at researchnews.osu.edu/archive/solarsilver.htm

As tagged by Meridian Institute:

Energy: Energy, Solar
Implications: Human Enhancement, Economic Competitiveness
Materials And Manufacturing: Plastics
Nanomaterials: Metal Nanoparticle
Regions: North America
Stakeholders: Academia
Minerals And Metals: Metals

Related Forums:

• Materials and Manufacturing
• Metals and Minerals
• Economic Competitiveness

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