 |
|
Silicon nanoparticles enhance performance of solar cells
August 21, 2007CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Placing a film of silicon nanoparticles onto a silicon solar cell can boost power, reduce heat and prolong the cell's life, researchers now report.
"Integrating a high-quality film of silicon nanoparticles 1 nanometer in size directly onto silicon solar cells improves power performance by 60 percent in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum," said Munir Nayfeh, a physicist at the University of Illinois and corresponding author of a paper accepted for publication in Applied Physics Letters.
A 10 percent improvement in the visible range of the spectrum can be achieved by using nanoparticles 2.85 nanometers in size, said Nayfeh, who also is a researcher at the university's Beckman Institute.
In conventional solar cells, ultraviolet light is either filtered out or absorbed by the silicon and converted into potentially damaging heat, not electricity. In previous work, however, Nayfeh showed that ultraviolet light could efficiently couple to correctly sized nanoparticles and produce electricity. That work was reported in the August 2004 issue of the journal Photonics Technology Letters.
To make their improved solar cells, the researchers began by first converting bulk silicon into discrete, nano-sized particles using a patented process they developed. Depending on their size, the nanoparticles will fluoresce in distinct colors.
Nanoparticles of the desired size were then dispersed in isopropyl alcohol and dispensed onto the face of the solar cell. As the alcohol evaporated, a film of closely packed nanoparticles was left firmly fastened to the solar cell.
Solar cells coated with a film of 1 nanometer, blue luminescent particles showed a power enhancement of about 60 percent in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum, but less than 3 percent in the visible range, the researchers report.
Solar cells coated with 2.85 nanometer, red particles showed an enhancement of about 67 percent in the ultraviolet range, and about 10 percent in the visible.
The improved performance is a result of enhanced voltage rather than current, Nayfeh said. "Our results point to a significant role for charge transport across the film and rectification at the nanoparticle interface."
The process of coating solar cells with silicon nanoparticles could be easily incorporated into the manufacturing process with little additional cost, Nayfeh said.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
In conventional solar cells, ultraviolet light is either filtered out or absorbed by the silicon and converted into potentially damaging heat, not electricity. In previous work, however, Nayfeh showed that ultraviolet light could efficiently couple to correctly sized nanoparticles and produce electricity. That work was reported in the August 2004 issue of the journal Photonics Technology Letters.
To make their improved solar cells, the researchers began by first converting bulk silicon into discrete, nano-sized particles using a patented process they developed. Depending on their size, the nanoparticles will fluoresce in distinct colors.
Nanoparticles of the desired size were then dispersed in isopropyl alcohol and dispensed onto the face of the solar cell. As the alcohol evaporated, a film of closely packed nanoparticles was left firmly fastened to the solar cell.
Solar cells coated with a film of 1 nanometer, blue luminescent particles showed a power enhancement of about 60 percent in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum, but less than 3 percent in the visible range, the researchers report.
Solar cells coated with 2.85 nanometer, red particles showed an enhancement of about 67 percent in the ultraviolet range, and about 10 percent in the visible.
The improved performance is a result of enhanced voltage rather than current, Nayfeh said. "Our results point to a significant role for charge transport across the film and rectification at the nanoparticle interface."
The process of coating solar cells with silicon nanoparticles could be easily incorporated into the manufacturing process with little additional cost, Nayfeh said.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Nanoparticles Current Events and Nanoparticles News RSSResearchers shed new light on catalyzed reactions
Rice University scientists on the hunt for a better way to clean up the stubborn pollutant TCE have created a method that lets them watch molecules break down on the surface of a catalyst as individual chemical bonds are formed and broken.
Nontoxic nanoparticle can deliver and track drugs
A nontoxic nanoparticle developed by Penn State researchers is proving to be an all-around effective delivery system for both therapeutic drugs and the fluorescent dyes that can track their delivery.
Conference report highlights new research into drug delivery to treat eye disease
Researchers are investigating microneedles, nanoparticles and polymer carriers as potential new techniques to combat the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the United States, according to a report from the Third Annual ARVO/Pfizer Ophthalmics Research Institute Conference.
Nanoparticles trigger cell death?
Nanoparticles that are one milliard of a metre in size are widely used, for example, in cosmetics and food packaging materials.
UD researchers show that plants can accumulate nanoparticles in tissues
Researchers at the University of Delaware have provided what is believed to be the first experimental evidence that plants can take up nanoparticles and accumulate them in their tissues.
When a good nanoparticle goes bad
Researchers at Cornell University recently made a major breakthrough when they invented a method to test and demonstrate a long-held hypothesis that some very, very small metal particles work much better than others in various chemical processes such as converting chemical energy to electricity in fuel cells or reducing automobile pollution.
Gold nanostar shape of the future
Rods, cones, cubes and spheres - move aside. Tiny gold stars, smaller than a billionth of a meter, may hold the promise for new approaches to medical diagnoses or testing for environmental contaminants.
MIT creates tiny backpacks for cells
MIT engineers have outfitted cells with tiny "backpacks" that could allow them to deliver chemotherapy agents, diagnose tumors or become building blocks for tissue engineering.
A green future for scrap iron
Take a close look at that cheap piece of scrap iron before you toss it in the trash.
Nanoscale dimensioning is fast, cheap with new NIST optical technique
A novel technique under development at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) uses a relatively inexpensive optical microscope to quickly and cheaply analyze nanoscale dimensions with nanoscale measurement sensitivity.
More Nanoparticles Current Events and Nanoparticles News Articles
 | Nanoparticles in Biomedical Imaging: Emerging Technologies and Applications (Fundamental Biomedical Technologies) (Fundamental Biomedical Technologies) Fundamental Biomedical Technologies features titles in multidisciplinary, technology-driven areas, providing the foundations for breakthrough advances in medicine and biology. The term technology refers, in a vigorously unrestrictive sense, to a broad array of engineering disciplines, the sciences of computation and informatics, mathematical models exploiting and advancing methods of mathematical... |
 | Analytical Ultracentrifugation of Polymers and Nanoparticles (Springer Laboratory) by Walter Mächtle, Lars Börger Analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) is a powerful method for the characterization of polymers, biopolymers, polyelectrolytes, nanoparticles, dispersions, and other colloidal systems. The method is able to determine the molar mass, the particle size, the particle density and interaction parameters like virial coefficients and association constants. Because AUC is also a fractionation method, the... |
 | Nanoparticle Technology for Drug Delivery (Drugs and the Pharmaceutical Sciences) Nanoparticles, products of nanotechnology, are of increasing interest to the pharmaceutical community. They can increase drug solubility, enhance bioavailability, allow tissue targeting, offer decreased side-effects, and improve therapeutic efficacy. Presenting the most pertinent and practical issues in the manufacturing and biological application of nanoparticles, this source presents... |
 | Nanoparticle Technology Handbook Nanoparticle technology, which handles the preparation, processing, application and characterisation of nanoparticles, is a new and revolutionary technology. It becomes the core of nanotechnology as an extension of the conventional Fine Particle / Powder Technology. Nanoparticle technology plays an important role in the implementation of nanotechnology in many engineering and industrial fields... |
 | Nanoparticles: From Theory to Application An introduction to the science of nanoparticles, from fundamental principles to their use in novel applications. As a basis for understanding nanoparticle behavior, the book first outlines the principles of quantum size behavior, nanoparticles architecture, formation of semiconductor and metal nanoparticles. It then goes on to describe the chemical syntheses of nanoparticles with defined... |
 | Synthesis, Functionalization and Surface Treatment of Nanoparticles by Marie-Isabelle Baraton Synthesis, functionalization and surface treatment of nanoparticles is an area of crucial importance in the emerging field of nanotechnology. Controlling the surface chemical composition and mastering its modification at the nanometer scale are critical issues for high-added value applications involving nanoparticles. The basic applications of surface functionalization range from altering the... |
 | Metal Nanoparticles: Synthesis Characterization & Applications by Daniel L. Feldheim A state-of-the-art reference, Metal Nanoparticles offers the latest research on the synthesis, characterization, and applications of nanoparticles. Following an introduction of structural, optical, electronic, and electrochemical properties of nanoparticles, the book elaborates on nanoclusters, hyper-Raleigh scattering, nanoarrays, and several applications including single electron devices,... |
 | Nanoparticles and Catalysis Written by international experts, this monograph combines two of the most important aspects of modern chemistry, presenting the latest knowledge on these environmental friendly applications. This result is a comprehensive overview of the application of nanoparticles in catalysis, focusing on synthesis and the most important reaction types, providing all the information needed by catalytic,... |
 | Colloidal Nanoparticles in Biotechnology (Wiley Series on Surface and Interfacial Chemistry) Dr. Abdelhamid Elaissari, internationally respected author and researcher, reports on and analyzes a broad range of important findings from new studies on the use of colloidal nanoparticles in biomedical, food, and environmental diagnostics and analyses. Throughout the presentation, the book uses a blend of classical tools, including optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, microsystems, and... |
| Nanoparticles for Pharmaceutical Applications Nanoparticles for Pharmaceutical Applications deals with emerging new technologies for developing customized solutions for drug delivery systems. The drug delivery systems should positively impact the rate of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of the drug or other related chemical substances in the body. In addition, the drug delivery system should allow the drug to bind to its... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |