New Solar Cell Gives Its "110 Percent" in Efficiency December
20, 2011 6:23 PM comment(s) - last by Like Tebow, these new
solar cells are giving their "110 percent" week in and week out.
Gains to quantum efficiency could yield around a 35 percent gain
in conversion efficiency, the key metric Using quantum dots --
tiny nanometer scale semiconductor crystals -- researchers at
the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory have cracked an
important physical barrier and achieved levels of performance
long considered impossible for a solar cell. I. Giving its 110
Percent The special design used by the team utilized quantum dot
nanocrystals in the 1-20 nm range. The nanocrystals were
composed of lead selenide treated with ethanedithol and
hydrazine. The photon-harvesting quantum dot-populated plane was
sandwiched between a nanostructured zinc oxide layer and a thin
gold electrode. A top layer was formed using a transparent
conductor. The overall design is in line with the "thin-film"
methodology, which is currently