New Solar Cell Will Self-Repair Like Plants
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 - 13:40
in Physics & Chemistry
In an ideal energy future, man-made solar cells would mimic much of the functionality of efficient plant life. Currently solar cell technology is expensive and a maintenance headache but Purdue researchers are working a new type of solar cell that uses carbon nanotubes and DNA to come closer to plant life that can be durable enough for commercials use, Their design exploits the unusual electrical properties of structures called single-wall carbon nanotubes, using them as "molecular wires in light harvesting cells," said Jong Hyun Choi, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Birck Nanotechnology and Bindley Bioscience centers at Purdue's Discovery Park. read more