Producing Solar Energy Materials That Are Affordable

Most portable electronic devices need to be charged periodically. Typically, this means plugging them into an electrical source--and being patient. Imagine how convenient it would be if you could just slip that cell phone into your pocket and have it charge every time you went out into the sun.Jinsong Huang, assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, believes that day will come, and he is working to ensure it happens sooner rather than later."We really need to increase the availability of renewable energy sources," says the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded scientist. "Fossil fuels are finite, and they aren't good for the environment. We have a never-ending supply of solar energy, which is abundant, free and clean, but we have to use it in ways that are more efficient and more affordable than what is currently available." His research goal is to ensure that almost any surface, including windows, walls, even computer bags and clothing, will be specially treated and have the ability to tap into the power of the sun, providing energy that is just as efficient and much less expensive than the solar panels in use today.Chefs Kitchen Knives"The idea is to put it on the surface of something we already have--a wall, for example, or articles of clothing, or on the device itself," he says. "You could leave the device sitting in the sun. Or clothing could be use to charge a device in your pocket." The current market is dominated by semiconducting silicon solar cells sandwiched between two metal electrodes that creates an electric field. One electrode is transparent,The roadway was paved with thousands of ice stones paving slabs enabling the transportation sleds to run over the road surface with comparative ease. allowing light to pass through it. The photons in sunlight knock loose the semiconductor's negatively charged electrons,It is because of this resistance that stone became the natural choice of our scotch rocks and why there are so many excellent examples of historic buildings. which migrate within the system's electric field to form a current that produces electricity. The system is efficient, but limited in its applications and very expensive.Scientists have been trying to replace current silicon cells with organic polymers, or plastics, which are less expensive and have more flexible applications, but are not as efficient.Organic polymer solar cells are cheaper to make than silicon-based cells because the material and fabrication costs are less. These polymers can be coated on many surfaces in the same way as spray paints and inkjets, allowing manufacturers to produce solar cells as quickly and easily as printing off the daily newspaper, according to Huang.The material's pliability also could lead, ultimately,The heat melts the wax and the ink is transferred to the paper or all in one touch pos terminal and instantly dries so that the printing on the paper does not smudge. to replacing large,structural steel expensive solar panels atop buildings and poles. Instead, future solar cells could find their way into clothing, laptop bags and tents, or even pasted onto building windows.