FUTURE SOLAR

Someday this technology will be a reality. Meanwhile, it is fun to read about during your break from installing photovoltaic panels.

Solar panels too pricey? Try printing them out. Scientists capture sun energy with printouts; consumers can stick on walls
Tuan C. Nguyen, July 23, 2007 (LiveScience via MSNBC)

WHO
New Jersey Institute of Technology scientists, lead researcher Somenath Mitra and research partner Cheng Li;

WHAT
A new polymer-based technology allows painting or ink-jet printing of surfaces with materials, turning the surfaces into “instant solar panels” capable of absorbing sunlight and translating it into electricity.
Carbon nanotube strands at the very bottom, compared to a single human hair. (click to enlarge)

WHEN
Published June 21.

WHERE
Published in Journal of Materials Chemistry

WHY
The polymer used in the NJIT process is more affordable than the purified silicon used in conventional solar cells. It is made from carbon nanotube strands 50,000 times smaller than a strand of hair, each strand more conductive than standard copper wiring.
The nanotube strands are encased in electricity trapping “fullerenes” (aka buckyballs) that trap electrons, although they can't make electrons flow. Add sunlight to excite the [nanotube] polymers, and the buckyballs will grab the electrons. Nanotubes, behaving like copper wires, will then be able to make the electrons or current flow.

Strands inside the buckyball can be excited by sunlight from outside and release an electron flow along the length, while the buckyball's structure gives the energy-carrier great flexibility. Is that right? (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
Mitra: "Developing organic solar cells from polymers, however, is a cheap and potentially simpler alternative…Imagine some day driving in your hybrid car with a solar panel painted on the roof, which is producing electricity to drive the engine. The opportunities are endless…Using this unique combination in an organic solar-cell recipe can enhance the efficiency of future painted-on solar cells…Someday, I hope to see this process become an inexpensive energy alternative for households around the world."