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A new world record for the conversion of solar energy to electricity using quantum dots:
The development of next generation solar power technology that has potential to be used as a flexible 'skin' over hard surfaces has moved a step closer, thanks to a significant breakthrough at The University of Queensland.
UQ researchers set a world record for the conversion of solar energy to electricity via the use of tiny nanoparticles called 'quantum dots', which pass electrons between one another and generate electrical current when exposed to solar energy in a solar cell device.
The development represents a significant step towards making the technology commercially-viable and supporting global renewable energy targets.
Professor Lianzhou Wang, who led the breakthrough, said: "Conventional solar technologies use rigid, expensive materials. The new class of quantum dots the university has developed are flexible and printable.
"This opens up a huge range of potential applications, including the possibility to use it as a transparent skin to power cars, planes, homes and wearable technology. Eventually it could play a major part in meeting the United Nations' goal to increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix."
Professor Wang's team set the world record for quantum dot solar cell efficiency by developing a unique surface engineering strategy. Overcoming previous challenges around the fact that the surface of quantum dots tend to be rough and unstable—making them less efficient at converting solar into electrical current.
"This new generation of quantum dots is compatible with more affordable and large-scale printable technologies," said Professor Wang.
Mengmeng Hao et al, Ligand-assisted cation-exchange engineering for high-efficiency colloidal Cs1−xFAxPbI3 quantum dot solar cells with reduced phase segregation, Nature Energy (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41560-019-0535-7
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Immerman on Wednesday February 26 2020, @03:11PM (1 child)
Since TFS didn't see fit to include the actual numbers from TFA:
So, still a long way from being competitive with traditional silicon solar cells, even mediocre ones. But perhaps production cost and flexibility will eventually make them useful anyway.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Spamalope on Wednesday February 26 2020, @08:57PM
Silicon cells have many limitations. If you beat some of those you can still have a viable product.
Can you make it work at high temperatures? Then it's got an advantage in the hot areas where there is more sunlight. (heat reduces silicon solar cell efficiency)
Can you make it cheaper? Can you create it with some of the charge circuitry built in? So cheap you'd make panels of it to build the roofs over gas station pumps/any covered parking?
Can you make it roll like fabric? So RV awnings can also be solar power? Then you've got 5x the space to work with, if you can make the cost/durability work. A backyard awning of the stuff would be great if it were like that...
Sometimes approaches whose first examples aren't as good have ultimate developments that are better than competitors but it's not possible to know which ones in advance. So the question is whether this is good enough to justify funding. If not, it'll be a research/PHD student research curiosity. (unless it's synergistic with future work - things like gorilla glass can languish until they find a commercial need)