Researchers found that defects in silicon wafers, not grain boundaries, cause low efficiency; optimizing processes can remove contaminants and improve performance. The goal is to achieve 18% efficiency on the production line, a significant step towards making solar cells more profitable.
A Penn State scientist has created a method to stimulate plants to produce valuable chemicals by mimicking their natural defense mechanisms. By using dead fungal cell fragments, the technique can increase production of desired compounds up to 500 times.
Penn State researchers develop organic thin film technology with potential to replace expensive hydrogenated amorphous silicon in liquid crystal displays. With improved mobility and on/off ratio comparable to amorphous silicon semiconductors, pentacene-based devices show promise for mass production.