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New Spray On Material Could Make Everything A Clean Solar Generator

New Spray On Material Could Make Everything A Clean Solar Generator

by Stephen BrownJune 10, 2017

The idea of everything around us doubling a solar panel, could soon be a reality, thanks to a new breakthrough in quantum dot research which could significantly change the way we  harvest the suns energy in the future.

Researchers at Los Alamos National Labs, and the University of Milano-Bicocca, have  synthesised a new generation of quantum dots that can be embedded  into a transparent spray polymer to capture the sun’s energy.

Quantum dots – nanocrystals made of semiconductor materials – are already used in solar panel systems due to their low-cost and mechanical properties, as well as transistors, LEDs and lasers.

“The key accomplishment is the demonstration of large-area luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) that use a new generation of specially engineered quantum dots,” said Victor Klimov, lead researcher at the Centre of Advanced Solar Photophysics at Los Alamos.

Solar panel

Quantum dots capture sunlight and transport it through the plastic matrix to the solar cell on the edge.

The findings, published in Nature Photonics, demonstrate how a slab of transparent LSC material is able to capture and transport light energy through quantum dots.

“The LSC serves as a light-harvesting antenna which concentrates solar radiation collected from a large area onto a much smaller solar cell, and this increases its power output,” said Klimov.

Sunlight captured is radiated through the LSC towards a small solar cell on the slab’s edge, which increases power efficiency in a way that could have broad applications in future solar cells.

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About The Author
Stephen Brown
Stephen Brown @SteveBTech is a Technology Entrepreneur, & Int'l CES Judge. Along with being the founder of DigiLyfe, and Nubby.co, he is the founder of DigitalAfro.com, & StemStars.org an organization that teaches K-12 Students Science & Technology.