Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Hybrid solar cell converts both light and heat from sun's rays into electricity (video)

Home > Press > Hybrid solar cell converts both light and heat from sun's rays into electricity (video)

A display changes colors, powered solely by a new hybrid solar-energy device.

Credit: American Chemical Society

Abstract:
Scientists have developed a new hybrid, solar-energy system that harnesses the full spectrum of the sun's radiation by pairing a photovoltaic cell with polymer films. The films convert the light that goes unused by the solar cell into heat and then converts the heat into electricity. They report on their device, which produces a voltage more than five times higher than other hybrid systems, in the journal ACS Nano.

Hybrid solar cell converts both light and heat from sun's rays into electricity (video)

Washington, DC | Posted on September 9th, 2015

Solar cells today are getting better at converting sunlight to electricity, but commercial panels still harvest only part of the radiation they're exposed to. Scientists are working to change this using various methods. One approach is to hybridize solar cells with different materials to capture more of the sun's energy. Eunkyoung Kim and colleagues turned to a clear, conductive polymer known as PEDOT to try to accomplish this.

The researchers layered a dye-sensitized solar cell on top of a PEDOT film, which heats up in response to light. Below that, they added a pyroelectric thin film and a thermoelectric device, both of which convert heat into electricity. The efficiency of all components working together was more than 20 percent higher than the solar cell alone. With that boost, the system could operate an LED lamp and an electrochromic display.

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The authors acknowledge funding from the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Pioneer Research Center Program and the Active Polymer Center for Pattern Integration.

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About American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 158,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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Contacts:
Eunkyoung Kim, Ph.D.
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Yonsei University
Seoul, South Korea
Phone: +82-2-2123-5752

Michael Bernstein

202-872-6042

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