Nanotechnology Now

• About Us
  
  • Advertising
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Comments
  • Friends
  • Contact
• Nanotechnology
• News
  
  • Current News
  • Press Releases
  • Submit Press
  • Press kit
  • Interviews
• Columns
• Products
  
  • Our Products
  • Books
  • Featured Books
• Directories
  
  • Companies/Academic
  • Events
  • Glossary
  • Best Of
• Career Center
• Nano-Social Network
• Nano Consulting
• My Account

Home > News > Bumpy Coatings for Better Solar Cells

July 22nd, 2010

Bumpy Coatings for Better Solar Cells

Abstract:
Nanoscale wires, pores, bumps, and other textures can dramatically improve the performance of solar cells, displays, and even self-cleaning coatings. Now researchers at Stanford University have developed a simpler, cheaper way to add these features to large surfaces.

Nanoscale structures offer particular advantages in devices that interact with light. For example, a thin-film solar cell carpeted with nano pillars is more efficient because the pillars absorb more light and convert more of it into electricity. Other nanoscale textures offer similar advantages in optical devices like display backlights.

The problem is scaling up to large areas, says Yi Cui, a Stanford professor of materials science and engineering who led the new work. "Many methods are really complex and don't solve the problem," says Cui. Lithography can be used to carve out nanoscale features with precise dimensions, but it's expensive and difficult. Simpler techniques, such as spin-coating a surface with nanoparticles or using acids to etch it with tiny holes, don't allow for much precision.

Source:
technologyreview.com

Bookmark:

Related News Press

News and information

Nano-needles for cells May 25th, 2013

How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013

Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013

Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home: Glowing Plant seeks funds via crowdfunding and raises almost $400,000 May 23rd, 2013

IDTechEx launches online Market Intelligence Portal May 23rd, 2013

Display technology/LEDs/SS Lighting/OLEDs

IDTechEx launches online Market Intelligence Portal May 23rd, 2013

Innovation could bring flexible solar cells, transistors, displays May 22nd, 2013

Solid-State Lighting Expert Dr. Bernhard Stapp Named To Board of Pioneering LED Technology Developer Aledia: Former OSRAM General Manager and CTO Has Played Key Role In Industry’s Evolution, Will Aid Aledia’s Move Towards Industrialization May 22nd, 2013

Possible Futures

Lifeboat publishes its first book: The Lifeboat Foundation has published its first book, "The Human Race to the Future: What Could Happen -- and What to Do" May 14th, 2013

UC Santa Barbara History Professor's Book Elucidates, Celebrates ‘Visioneers' May 14th, 2013

Conceptual Nanomedical Lipofuscin Removal Strategy April 29th, 2013

The Global Desalination Market 2013-2023 April 24th, 2013

Academic/Education

Inaugural Baccalaureate Class Among CNSE Graduates to Pursue Opportunities in New York: Half of undergrads from pioneering class to seek graduate degrees at CNSE; majority of master’s and doctoral degree recipients land high-tech jobs in state’s emerging nanotech industry May 16th, 2013

Anasys reports on University of Illinois study of near-field behavior of semiconductor plasmonic microparticles using AFM-IR published in APL May 14th, 2013

The University of Wyoming uses Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis to characterize nanoparticles in natural environments May 14th, 2013

Nanotechnology Pioneer Named 'Entrepreneur of the Year': Royal Society of Chemistry honors Chad Mirkin for commercializing innovations May 10th, 2013

Announcements

Nano-needles for cells May 25th, 2013

How do cold ions slide May 24th, 2013

Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013

Glowing Plant Releases Maker Kit, Enabling Anyone to Make a Glowing Plant at Home: Glowing Plant seeks funds via crowdfunding and raises almost $400,000 May 23rd, 2013

Energy

IDTechEx launches online Market Intelligence Portal May 23rd, 2013

Innovation could bring flexible solar cells, transistors, displays May 22nd, 2013

Researchers Stitch Defects into the World’s Thinnest Semiconductor May 22nd, 2013

Atomic-Scale Investigations Solve Key Puzzle of LED Efficiency: MIT and Brookhaven Lab scientists use electron microscopy imaging techniques to settle a solid-state controversy and raise new experimental possibilities May 22nd, 2013

Solar/Photovoltaic

IDTechEx launches online Market Intelligence Portal May 23rd, 2013

Innovation could bring flexible solar cells, transistors, displays May 22nd, 2013

Researchers Stitch Defects into the World’s Thinnest Semiconductor May 22nd, 2013

Atomic-Scale Investigations Solve Key Puzzle of LED Efficiency: MIT and Brookhaven Lab scientists use electron microscopy imaging techniques to settle a solid-state controversy and raise new experimental possibilities May 22nd, 2013

	The latest news from around the world, FREE

Premium Products
	Only the news you want to read!  Learn More
	University Technology Transfer & Patents  Learn More
	Full-service, expert consulting  Learn More

Nanotechnology Now Featured Books