Endless energy? It might be possible with solar panels made from ferroelectric crystals instead of silicon.
Researchers from MLU found that with alternately placed crystalline layers of barium titanate, strontium titanate, and calcium titanate, they could greatly increase the efficiency of solar panels. Their findings are published in theMost solar cells are made out of silicon due to its low cost and relative efficiency; however, limits to the material's overall efficiency have led to researchers experimenting with new materials, including ferroelectric crystals.
However, pure barium titanate, a ferroelectric crystal tested by the MLU researchers, for example, absorbs little sunlight. By experimenting with different combinations of materials, the scientists found that they could combine extremely thin layers of different materials to significantly increase their solar energy yield.
Dr Akash Bhatnagar, from MLU’s Centre for Innovation Competence SiLi-nano, explained in the MLU press release.Bhatnagar and his team embedded barium titanate between strontium titanate and calcium titanate by vaporizing the crystals with a high-power laser and redepositing them on carrier substrates. The resulting material was composed of 500 layers and was 200 nanometers thick.
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