DuPont buys solar ink maker

Innovalight
S UMMARY:
DuPont announced on Monday that it has bought Innovalight, a
Silicon alley startu! that makes silicon ink that solar"cell makers
can use to im!rove the amount o# electricity that the cells can
s$uee%e out o# sunlight& DuPont declined to disclose the !urchase
!rice&
DuPont announced on Monday
that it has bought Innovalight, a Silicon alley startu! that makes
silicon ink that solar"cell makers can use to im!rove the amount o#
electricity that the cells can s$uee%e out o# sunlight& DuPont
declined to disclose the !urchase !rice&
'y buying Innovalight, DuPont not only added a ne( material
o)ering to its lineu!, it also snagged customers that have licensed
Innovalight*s technology& +he silicon ink develo!er has signed u!
some o# the biggest solar"cell makers in the (orld, including
Yingli ,reen -nergy, .A Solar and Motech& Innovalight (orks
(ith its customers to /gure out ho( to incor!orate silicon ink into
their !roduction lines, and it sells the ink as (ell&
A #e( years ago Innovalight decided to change its business model
and has no( demonstrated that to be a (ise decision& Innovalight
once (anted to become solar"cell maker&
0ounded in 1221, the com!any decided to #orgo that ambition
(hen the /nancial market crashed and demand #or solar goods
dived in late 1223 and /rst hal# o# 1224& Startu! com!anies (ere
having a hard time lining u! money to continue their !roduct
develo!ment and move into !roduction& Innovalight*s 5-6, 5onrad
'urke,told me at the time that Innovalight needed to steer a(ay
#rom the manu#acturing business because it re$uired too much
ca!ital&
Since then, the com!any has to seemed to have #ound success (ith
the licensing model 7and also selling the silicon ink8& +he U&S&
De!artment o# -nergy has #unded Innovalight*s research and
develo!ment, including 9: million in 1224 and another 9:&;
million earlier this year&
Innovalight targets silicon solar"cell makers (ho (ant to boost
their solar cells* e<ciencies $uickly (ithout only relying on
internal technology develo!ment that ty!ically re$uires millions o#
dollars and years o# develo!ment time& +he ra!id decline o# the
!rice o# solar cells, (hich are assembled into !anels, has !rom!ted
solar"cell makers to /gure out (ays to better com!ete not =ust in
!rice but also !er#ormance in the last three years& Most o# the
solar !anels sold today are made (ith silicon&
+he !restigious R>D Maga%ine !ut Innovalight*s silicon ink
technology, (hich (as develo!ed (ith the hel! o# the ?ational
Rene(able -nergy @aboratory, on its annualto! A22 list o#
innovations this year&
DuPont already is a big !layer in the solar market& It makes the
/lms that !rotect solar cells #rom moisture and other environmental
damage& +he com!any said the solar market brought it over 9A
billion in revenue last year&
Image courtesy o# Innovalight
Growing graphene on silver
could improve solar cells
A ?orth(estern University graduate student has discovered a ne(
(ay to !roduce gra!hene by (orking (ith silver*s uni$ue
!ro!erties&
,ra!hene is an ama%ing material, but it has its Ba(s& -lectricity
can run through it at su!er"#ast s!eeds, but gra!hene in its natural
#orm can*t start and sto! its Bo(, limiting its use #or a!!lications
like solar cells&
6ne !otential /C is to !air it (ith other materials, creating a
hybrid that borro(s needed characteristics #rom both ingredients&
A ?orth(estern University graduate student recently discovered a
(ay to combine gra!hene (ith silver, (hich has interesting o!tical
!ro!erties and is already (idely used in solar cells& Pairing the t(o
u! until no( eluded scientists because silver is not com!atible
(ith the most common techni$ue #or making gra!hene&
+hough there are other eCisting and emerging a!!roaches, gra!hene
is generally made in an oven stocked (ith gases like methane and
!ro!ane& At high tem!eratures, gra!hene naturally !ulls out o# the
gases and de!osits itsel# in sheets on co!!er !laced in the oven&
'ut (hen you re!lace the co!!er (ith silver, it doesn*t (ork&
D+he methane (on*t break do(n, it*ll =ust hit the hot silver and
bounce o) and remain methane, so there*s no carbon source to
actually gro( the gra!hene,E Argonne ?ational @aboratory sta)
scientist ?athan ,uisinger said in a release&
+he secret (as to make sure the silver (as highly !ure and Bat&
Researchers #rom ?orth(estern and Argonne covered the silver in
ions that ate a(ay im!urities, then ensured its sur#ace (as totally
Bat& +hey ke!t the silver in a high"vacuum environment, (hich
limited its eC!osure to air and (ater&
It (orked: ,ra!hene de!osited onto the silver&
'y using the ne( techni$ue, the team (as also able to gro(
gra!hene at around A;22 degrees 0ahrenheit, do(n #rom the more
usual A322F degrees& Gorking at a lo(er tem!erature slo(s do(n
the gro(th !rocess, (hich could allo( #or more control over the
gra!hene&
+he researchers think their (ork could have a!!lications in light
detectors and light absorbing devices like solar cells& +hey are also
interested in !airing gra!hene (ith other atom"thick materials&