A group of scientists at Empa has pushed the efficiency of flexible solar cells to a new limit. Independent measurements revealed an efficiency of 21.4 percent when these types of solar cells convert light into electricity. For comparison: the best efficiency of a non-flexible solar cell made of crystalline silicon is reported at 26.7 percent. Read more about Efficiency of flexible solar cells to a new limit[…]
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are widely used in portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and grid-scale energy storage systems. Safety of Li-ion batteries, however, has been called into question repeatedly over the past several years due to a conventional organic electrolyte causing fire and explosion in many cases. Ceramic solid-state electrolyte (SSE) thin films promise a viable Read more about Printable, high-performance solid-state electrolyte films for next-generation batteries[…]
In combination with the right materials, sunbeams can work wonders: they clean building facades and decompose pollutants from the air or in the water. The magic word is photocatalysis. In practice, though, the effectiveness of this „miracle cure“ fluctuates greatly, depending on the material used and the environmental factors. With a new measuring device, researchers Read more about Clean through solar power[…]
Experiments at BESSY II reveal why even inhomogeneous perovskite films are highly functional Metal-organic perovskite layers for solar cells are frequently fabricated using the spin coating technique. If you follow the simplest synthesis pathway and use industry-relevant compact substrates, the perovskite layers laid down by spin coating generally exhibit numerous holes, yet attain astonishingly high Read more about Perovskite solar cells: perfection not required![…]
Researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have discovered superconductivity in thin films of titanium oxide (Ti4O7) and gamma-phase trititanium pentoxide (γ-Ti3O5). The achievement advances fundamental knowledge of nanomaterials that could one day be used in the development of ultrafast computers. Many of us are familiar with titanium dioxide (TiO2), a whitener commonly used Read more about Superconductivity found in thin films of titanium oxide[…]
A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has developed a revolutionary, light-activated semiconductor nanocomposite material that can be used in a variety of applications, including microscopic actuators and grippers for surgical robots, light-powered micro-mirrors for optical telecommunications systems, and more efficient solar cells and photodetectors. “This is a new area of science,” said Balaji Read more about A revolutionary light-activated semiconductor nanocomposite material that can be used in a variety of applications[…]