ELECTRONICS
Prasen Vinchurkar
New efficiency record for flexible CIGS solar cells
By Gizmag Team
01:53 May 20, 2011
Flexible thin film CIGS solar cell on polymer substrate developed at Empa (Photo: Empa)
Automated Solar Cell Batch Wet Chemical Process Lines
Swiss researchers have claimed a new world record efficiency of 18.7% for flexible copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) solar cells on plastics. Flexible CIGS solar cells have the potential to drive down the price of solar electricity because they are cheaper to produce and this latest breakthrough brings them closer to the highest efficiency levels achieved by crystalline silicon and rigid CIGS cells.
"The new record value for flexible CIGS solar cells of 18.7% nearly closes the "efficiency gap" to solar cells based on polycrystalline silicon (Si) wafers or CIGS thin film cells on glass", says Ayodhya N. Tiwari, who heads-up the research team at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) Thin Film and Photovoltaics lab.
Beating the previous mark of 17.6% that the same team achieved in June 2010, the new record was made possible by continuing to refine the process for low-temperature growth of CIGS layers and in situ doping with sodium during the final stage of manufacture.
The Empa researchers say this is the first time that polymer films have been proven superior to metal foils (which require additional barrier coatings) as a substrate in terms of efficiency and believe that the results could pave the way for commercial production of CIGS solar modules with efficiencies above 16%. Start-up company FLISOM is working to bring the technology to market.
Vaporizing and Heating Equipment for Polysilicon Production Process
--
Prasen Vinchurkar
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
School Of interdisciplinary Science & Technology
I2IT, Hinjewadi, Pune
8087024109
Prasen Vinchurkar
Scientists have determined the molecular structure of proteins that allow bacteria cells to transfer electrical charge, which could be a big step towards more efficient microbial fuel cells (Image: Public Library of Science)
Image Gallery (2 images)Multi-component dispenser provider. Dispensing robots and automations.
The development of practical microbial fuel cells took a big step forward this week. Research conducted by a team of scientists from England's University of East Anglia was published on Monday (May 23), in which they revealed that they had discovered "the exact molecular structure of the proteins which enable bacterial cells to transfer electrical charge." Scientists possessing this knowledge can now start working on technology for tethering bacteria directly to electrodes, which could lead to much more efficient microbial fuel cells - also known as bio-batteries.
The team utilized X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of the electron-transferring proteins, which were attached to the surface of a Shewanella oneidensis bacterium cell. X-ray crystallography involves focusing an X-ray onto a crystalline item (such as a protein molecule), then determining its structure by analyzing the angles and intensities of the diffracted beams.
Besides the implications for fuel cell technology, the discovery could also aid in the development of microbe-based agents, used to clean up oil or uranium pollution.
"This is an exciting advance in our understanding of how some bacterial species move electrons from the inside to the outside of a cell," said Dr. Tom Clarke of East Anglia's School of Biological Sciences. "Identifying the precise molecular structure of the key proteins involved in this process is a crucial step towards tapping into microbes as a viable future source of electricity."
Other members of the team included East Anglia's Prof. David Richardson and Prof. Julea Butt, who collaborated with colleagues at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the state of Washington.
Their report appeared in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
High Quality Antibodies, Proteins Conjugates at Randox Life Sciences
You are logged in as Prasen Vinchurkar
Related Articles
Just enter your friends and your email address into the form below ...