Led by professor of energy Angela Belcher, the US researchers found that a genetically-engineered version of the M13 virus, which normally infects bacteria, can be enlisted to control the arrangement of carbon nanotubes – microscopic, hollow cylinders of pure carbon – and improve the efficiency of a cell to 10.6% from 8%.
The breakthrough may solve two key problems that have stymied earlier attempts to “grow” solar cells around carbon nanotube structures, a key focus of innovation in solar technology.
The first is that producing nanotubes generally results in a mix of two types, not all of which allow current to flow easily. The second is that nanotubes tend to “clump” together, which reduces their efficiency.
A dose of M13 can keep the tubes apart so they cannot short-out the circuits and helps them to “provide a more direct path to the current collector,” says Belcher.
more US scientists raise solar cell efficiency with dose of virus - Innovation - Renewable energy news - Recharge - wind, solar, biomass, wave/tidal/hydro and geothermal
The breakthrough may solve two key problems that have stymied earlier attempts to “grow” solar cells around carbon nanotube structures, a key focus of innovation in solar technology.
The first is that producing nanotubes generally results in a mix of two types, not all of which allow current to flow easily. The second is that nanotubes tend to “clump” together, which reduces their efficiency.
A dose of M13 can keep the tubes apart so they cannot short-out the circuits and helps them to “provide a more direct path to the current collector,” says Belcher.
more US scientists raise solar cell efficiency with dose of virus - Innovation - Renewable energy news - Recharge - wind, solar, biomass, wave/tidal/hydro and geothermal