The future of solar power looks bright . Stanford scientistshave developeda nanostructure that have the electric wiring on top of solar cells almost invisible to incoming light . This could potentially increase the efficiency of formal cells from 20 to 22 percent , which sounds lowly , but is important accord to the investigator .
The new design uses silicon nanopillars to reflect light away from the wire and into the solar cell , which are made ofsemiconductor materialssandwiched between two metallic element contact that carry the electrical energy yield by sunshine shoot the semiconductor . The metal liaison on top reduces the efficiency of the solar cell because it blocks and reflects luminosity away .
" Using nanotechnology , we have developed a fresh way to make the upper metallic element contact about inconspicuous to incoming light , " lead source of the work , Vijay Narasimhan , said in astatement . " Our raw proficiency could significantly improve the efficiency and thereby lower the cost of solar cubicle . "
In the report , the squad coated a Si wafer with a 16 - micromillimeter - thick film of gold . To get light through , the alloy layer was perforated and it ended up covering 60 pct of the silicon . This jell up allowed for 50 percent of the lightness to reach the solar cell . To meliorate efficiency , the squad constructed nanopillars ( which , as they fathom like , are really small pillar - like structures ) on the gold flick to increase the amount of light reaching the Si .
" We immersed the silicon and the perforated gold celluloid together in a solution of hydrofluoric superman and hydrogen peroxide , " say Thomas Hymel , joint author of the study published inACS Nano . " The gold flick immediately start sinking into the atomic number 14 substrate , and silicon nanopillars began start up through the maw in the motion-picture show . "
The tower turn to a height of 330 nm and deed like funnel for visible radiation approaching the solar mobile phone . The new conformation allowed for 97 per centum of the light to strain the Si wafer .
" Solar cells are typically shaded by metal wires that cover five to 10 percent of the top surface , " Narasimhan say . " In our best design , nearly two - thirds of the open can be covered with metal , yet the reflection passing is only three per centum . Having that much metallic element could increase conductivity and make the cell far more effective at converting igniter to electricity . "
The team is now planning to test this pattern to establish the public presentation of this engineering in real - worldly concern conditions .
