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START BLOGGING

Solar cell doubles as battery

TRN

NewsTeam | TRN [] | POSTED: 12.16.04 @00:34

A practical solar energy system usually includes solar cells that convert light to electricity and batteries that store the energy for later use.

Scientists from Toin University of Yokohama in Japan have designed a single, compact device that can both convert solar energy to electricity and store the electricity. The researchers' photocapacitor is also efficient at capturing energy from weak light sources like sunlight on rainy days and indoor lighting.

The light-driven, self-charging capacitor could eventually be used to power portable electronic devices like phones, cameras, and PDAs.

Solar cells convert light to electricity by absorbing photons and using their energy to move electrons. Conventional cells are solid-state devices usually made from silicon. It is also possible to capture photon energy using dye molecules.

Dye-based solar cells use dye molecules to absorb photons, which causes negatively-charge electrons and positively-charged holes to separate in a semiconductor layer. The researchers' photocapacitor transfers these charges to layers of carbon particles, where they are stored.

Although the researchers' device is less efficient in direct sunlight than silicon, it absorbs light that hits the surface at a much broader angle, making it able to absorb diffuse light. Its average efficiency is near amorphous silicon, which is about half as efficient as more expensive types of silicon.

The photocapacitor, like conventional batteries, can produce a voltage equivalent to the collective input of photocapacitors connected in series. The researchers' prototype produces 0.7 volts. Connecting 18 cells would yield 12 volts, which is the output of a car battery.

The thickness of the photocapacitor depends simply on the thickness of the electrodes, and could be made narrower than one millimeter.

The device could be used in practical applications in two years, according to the researchers. The work appeared in the October 25, 2004 issue of Applied Physics Letters. -TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH NEWS

Read the full story at www.trnmag.com

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