New Solar Panels That Work At Night

Despite the enormous untapped potential of solar energy, one thing is for sure-
photovoltaics are only as good as the sun’s rays shining upon them. However, researchers
at the Idaho National Laboratory are close to the production of a super-thin solar film that
would be cost-effective, imprinted on flexible materials, and would be able to harvest
solar energy even after sunset!
The technique involves the embedding of square spirals of conducting metal onto a sheet
of plastic, each of which, referred to as a “nano antenna,” just 1/25 the diameter of a
human hair. The nano antennas absorb infrared energy, which is absorbed by the earth
during the day and released even hours after the sun goes down. The nano antennas are
thus able to harvest energy both during daytime hours and into the early evening.
Because they can take in energy from both sunlight and the earth’s heat, the nano
antennas have a much higher efficiency (and potential applicability) than conventional
solar cells.
The scientific principle isn’t a new one, but the manufacturing process that maximizes
efficiency certainly is state-of-the-art. The innovation within nanotechnology is what has
allowed the nano antennas to be efficiently embedded to absorb energy in a flexible and
inexpensive material.
 New Quantum Dot Photovoltaics Could Double Solar Cell
Efficiency

You’ve heard the statistic: enough solar power hits the Earth in an hour to meet
our energy needs for an entire year. The trick is harnessing it. Today’s solar cells make use
of just under a third of the energy hitting them, overheating to create “hot electrons” that
escape before they can be converted into electricity. A study published in this
week’s Science demonstrates a new type of solar technology could harness quantum dots
to convert two-thirds of the sun’s energy into electrical power.

The technology utilizes semiconductor nanocrystals, or “quantum dots” — which slow the
cooling of hot electrons to create time to grab them — and a titanium dioxide conductor
to accomplish the task. A previous study pioneered the use of quantum dots to slow the
electrons’ cooling. The recently documented breakthrough is significant for its use of an
inexpensive titanium dioxide “wire.”
Besides taking the discovery from theoretical science into practical engineering, one big
problem still remains: hot electrons also lose their energy as they travel along the wire.

Source
www.inhabitat.com
 Electricity from thin air: Using nanotechnology to capture the
energy around us (Nanowerk News)

Energy exists all around us — in the motion of a heartbeat, the fluorescent light in an
office building, and even the flow of blood cells through the body. These individual units of
energy are relatively small, but they are numerous. Dr. Zhong Lin Wang, Professor of
Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has developed a
way to harness this ambient energy. After months of work, Wang and his team have
developed the very first hybrid cell, which is capable of harnessing both motion and
sunlight. By tapping into multiple sources of readily available energy, the tiny cells have the
potential to revolutionize the way we power our devices.

Here, Wang holds fibers containing nanogenerators. Woven into clothing, these fibers
could power devices using energy from our daily movements. All of our electronic devices,
from medical sensors to calculators, require a constant supply of energy. Currently, the
most common methods are a plug and power supply or batteries, both of which are large
and thus limit miniaturization. Since Wang’s cell is small enough to work on the nanoscale,
it can readily be incorporated into biomedical sensors, cellphones, and other small
electronics. The cell’s hybrid design is an advantage as well: Solar energy alone produces
high voltages but is unsuitable for devices used in the dark, while energy from ambient
motion is more consistent but is available on a smaller scale. By combining these sources,
Wang’s device can provide a highly reliable supply of electricity. Wang developed the
motion-harnessing component of the hybrid cell in 2006. These devices, called
nanogenerators, can collect energy at the micro- and nanoscales of motion by relying on
piezoelectricity, the production of a current from compression or strain. To construct a
nanogenerator, Wang grew a vertical array of microscopic zinc oxide (ZnO) wires on a flat
base. On top of this, he placed an electrode with multiple pointed peaks that give it a “zig-
zag” appearance. When the ZnO nanowires are bent out of their ordered formation, they
generate small electric charges due to piezoelectricity. They then touch the zig-zag edge of
the electrode, which collects all the electricity to produce a current. Due to its sensitivity,
a nanogenerator can capture even vibrations of very small magnitudes, which can then be
harnessed to power an object such as a pacemaker. In fact, nearly a milliwatt of
mechanical energy exists in each cubic centimeter of the ambient environment. Many
devices, however, cannot be sustainably powered by nanogenerators alone; solar cells
generate a larger voltage more practical for use in bright environments. To miniaturize
solar power capture, Wang made use of an existing technology called a dye-sensitized
solar cell (DSSC). These cells are made by combining an anode with an electrolyte solution
to form a semiconductor. First, a dye is applied to the anode to make it sensitive to light.
When light strikes the dye, it releases electrons that flow through the anode toward the
electrolyte solution, generating a current. Wang’s method employs the same principle on
a miniaturized scale. Dye-coated ZnO nanowires serve as the anode, surrounded by the
cell with a chamber of electrolytic fluid, forming a DSSC small enough to integrate with a
nanogenerator.

Wang’s device relies on incredibly thin zinc oxide nanowires, which are arranged in a
vertical array to harvest light and ambient motion. After refining both technologies in
collaboration with Dr. Xudong Wang of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wang has
discovered a way to incorporate both nanogenerators and DSSCs into a device he terms a
“hybrid cell.” The upper layer of the cell harvests light energy, and the nanogenerator
below collects ambient motion. A single layer of silicon is sandwiched between the two
and functions as an electrode for both devices, combining their energy into a single
output. The two sources can be connected in parallel for higher currents and in series for
higher voltages. Even in the absence of light or motion, the circuit can still be completed.
This is highly desirable because it generates electricity based on what is available. The
hybrid cell captures what it can from the environment, but it is not limited by the absence
of one source. Furthermore, although the nanogenerator alone produces a low voltage,
combining it with the solar cell boosts the overall voltage of the device. These
complementary sources allow the device to efficiently use energy resources in a variety of
environments and situations. Hybrid energy harvesters are well suited to power
implantable medical devices and other small electronics. In particular, Wang has proposed
the installation of hybrid cells on sensing devices that gather information about the
environment. This would replace traditional macroscopic sensing and provide more points
of data for analysis. Using this richer data source could revolutionize fields such as
environmental temperature studies, military reconnaissance, medical endoscopies, and
underwater exploration. However, there are many factors that must be addressed before
this technology can be deemed dependable enough to power life-saving medical devices
and other valuable electronics. One major problem is consistency, since solar energy
cannot be harvested within an organism due to the lack of light. Additional complications
arise from the ZnO wires in the nanogenerator. They are not all of the same length,
resulting in some wires that are too short to touch the zig-zag electrode and others that
are too long to flex and produce a current. Wang and his team are working to address
these challenges. To improve the nanogenerator component, Wang anticipates increasing
the wire density to result in greater power output: If there are more wires per unit area of
the substrate, there will be more electricity generated. Researchers are also investigating
devices that can harness other sources of energy, such as thermal and chemical, and be
incorporated into the cell. Biochemical energy — using enzymes to catalyze energy-
yielding reactions — is particularly attractive due to its prevalence inside an organism
where light energy is low. The integration of two energy-harnessing methods is the true
genius of Wang’s work. As the movement for self-powered electronics gains momentum,
future combinations may harness thermal, biochemical, and other energy sources
depending on the device’s location. Each energy source has its own limitations, but
integrating multiple collectors into one device leads to efficiency, reliability, and
sustainability. It may not be so long before our iPods are powered by the steps we take in
our morning jogs.
 A Step Ahead For Zinc Oxide Piezoelectrics: Over 20 Times Power
Improvement
Piezoelectrics are a class of materials that, if applied a mechanical force, exert an electric
current on the sides. You may already have knowledge about this, but researchers are
studying how to take piezoelectric materials to the next step.

Specifically, they want to embed these devices in flexible materials, so that clothes, for
example, can produce enough electricity to power small appliances (MP3s, phones, etc).
The director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Nanostructure Characterization, Zhong Lin
Wang, and a team of other Georgia Tech researchers, have developed nanowire-based
generators for the first time. Moreover, their discoveries constitute a giant leap forward
since the devices they developed can actually power LCD displays and LEDs.
Back in 2005, Wang was the first to demonstrate that nanoscale piezoelectric devices can
exist, but the first prototypes could hardly power anything. Since then, Wang and his team
produced a nanogenerator that contained more nanowires over a large area (1.5×2
centimeters) that produced two volts, enough to power a calculator LCD. “We were
generating 50 millivolts in the past, so this is an enhancement of about 20 times,” says
Wang.
Their piezoelectric device was made by dripping a solution containing zinc oxide
nanowires onto a thin metal electrode sitting on a sheet of plastic, creating several layers
of the wires. They then covered the material with a polymer and topped it with an
electrode. A pacemaker requires 5 milliwatts and an iPod 80 milliwatts, so the 11-mW per
cubic centimeter developed by Wang is pretty close to meeting everyday needs.

The researchers now study how to make nanowire PZT material. PZT is a crystalline
material that contains lead, zirconium and titanium, and is the best piezoelectric material
known. Still, making it into nanowires requires a good catalyst and they haven’t found it
yet. Instead, they used another solution, by treating the starting solution at high
temperatures and pressures, which eliminates the need for a catalyst. This way they
create a flat thin film of nanowires, which they then chemically etched using a nanowire
pattern.
Having just begun working with PZTs, the researchers hope for the best, though they are
still not obtaining the same results as they do with the previously-invented zinc oxide
material.
 A Step Ahead For Zinc Oxide Piezoelectrics: Over 20 Times Power
Improvement
Piezoelectrics are a class of materials that, if applied a mechanical force, exert an electric
current on the sides. You may already have knowledge about this, but researchers are
studying how to take piezoelectric materials to the next step.
Specifically, they want to embed these devices in flexible materials, so that clothes, for
example, can produce enough electricity to power small appliances (MP3s, phones, etc).

The director of Georgia Tech’s Center for Nanostructure Characterization, Zhong Lin
Wang, and a team of other Georgia Tech researchers, have developed nanowire-based
generators for the first time. Moreover, their discoveries constitute a giant leap forward
since the devices they developed can actually power LCD displays and LEDs.

Energy-harvesting discovery generates 200 times higher voltage to power wearables,

other portable devices

Left: conventional zinc-oxide energy-harvester chip (gray: top electrode; gold: zinc oxide
layer; blue: bottom electrode; lime: substrate). Right: aluminum nitride insulating
interlayer (purple) added, boosting voltage up to 200 times and improving other
characteristics. (Credit: Eunju Lee et al./Applied Physics Letters, adapted)

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) researchers have discovered

how to radically improve conversion of ambient energy (such as body movement) to
electrical energy for powering wearable and portable devices.
As has been noted on KurzweilAI, energy-harvesting devices can convert ambient
mechanical energy sources — including body movement, sound, and other forms of
vibration — into electricity. The energy-harvesting devices or “nanogenerators” typically
use piezoelectric materials such as zinc oxide* (ZnO) to convert mechanical energy to
electricity. Uses of such devices include wearable and devices for portable
communication, healthcare monitoring, and environmental monitoring; and for medical
implants.
The researchers explored ways to improve “vertically integrated nanogenerator” energy-
harvesting chips based on ZnO. They inserted an aluminum-nitride insulating layer into a
conventional energy-harvesting chip based on ZnO and found that the added layer
increased the output voltage a whopping 140 to 200 times (from 7 millivolts to 1 volt, in
one configuration). This increase was the result of the high dielectric constant (increasing
the electric field) and large Young’s modulus (stiffness).
The researchers report their findings in an open-access paper published today (Jan. 13) in
the journal Applied Physics Letters.
*According to Giwan Yoon, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at
KAIST, ZnO nanostructures are particularly suitable as nanogenerator functional elements
because of their “transparency, lead-free biocompatibility, nanostructural formability,
chemical stability, and coupled piezoelectric and semiconductor properties.” They are also
easily fabricated, can be fully integrated with conventional complementary metal-oxide-
semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication technologies, and provide greater durability than other
types of nanogenerators, the authors explain.
 Scientists Develop Wonder Nanomaterial that Can Produce
Energy, Clean Water and Hydrogen

Researchers in Singapore have developed a new nanomaterial that functions like the best

Swiss army knife in the world. The material, known as Multi-use Titanium Dioxide
(TiO2), can produce energy, it can generate hydrogen, and it can even produce clean
water. But that’s not all: The remarkable material can also be formed into flexible solar
cells and it can double the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries. And with bacteria-killing
properties, it can also be used in new antibacterial bandages.
The new material, which is being developed by scientists at Singapore’s Nanyang
Technological University, is made by turning titanium dioxide crystals into nanofibers,
which can then be formed into flexible filter membranes. The special material at the
center of it all is titanium dioxide, which is cheap and abundant and has the ability to
accelerate chemical reactions and can bond easily with water.
Because it can bond with water, the material can potentially serve as a high-flux forward
osmosis membrane and desalinate water. But that’s just one of its many remarkable
features. In addition to producing clean water, the material can also produce hydrogen
when exposed to sunlight, according to the researchers. And it can also be formed into an
inexpensive, flexible solar cell that can be used to generate electricity.
“While there is no single silver bullet to solving two of the world’s biggest challenges:
cheap renewable energy and an abundant supply of clean water; our single multi-use
membrane comes close, with its titanium dioxide nanoparticles being a key catalyst in
discovering such solutions,” said lead researcher Darren Sun. “With our unique
nanomaterial, we hope to be able to help convert today’s waste into tomorrow’s
resources, such as clean water and energy.”
 Nanotech Boosts Hydrogen Fuel Production
Stanford researchers decrease emissions, improve absorption
SAN FRANCISCO—Researchers at Stanford University have developed a method for
producing hydrogen fuel that offers fewer emissions and is more stable. Long touted as an
alternative to gasoline, hydrogen fuel is impractical because of a lack of fueling stations
and requires a production process that isn’t emission-free.
“Millions of cars could be powered by clean hydrogen fuel if it were cheap and widely
available,” Said Yi Cui, associate professor of materials science and engineering at
Stanford.
To address the problem of carbon dioxide emissions, Cui and his colleagues used
photovoltaic water splitting—an emerging technology that places a solar-powered
electrode immersed in water. When sunlight hits the electrode, it generates an electric
current that splits the water into its constituent parts, hydrogen and oxygen. Still,
conventional solar electrodes made of silicon quickly corrode when exposed to oxygen.
The Stanford approach used bismuth vanadate, an inexpensive compound that absorbs
sunlight that has a high stability against corrosion. Bismuth vanadate creates a modest
amount of electricity but its performance “remains well below its theoretical solar-to-
hydrogen conversion efficiency,” Cui said in a release.
To carry a current, a solar cell made of bismuth vanadate must be 200 nanometers or less,
making it virtually transparent. As a result, visible light that could be used to generate
electricity simply passes through the cell. To capture sunlight before it escapes, Cui’s team
turned to nanotechnology and created microscopic arrays containing thousands of silicon
nanocones, each about 600nm tall.

Stanford engineers created arrays of silicon nanocones to trap sunlight and improve the 
performance of solar cells made of bismuth vanadate. 
“Nanocone structures have shown a promising light-trapping capability over a broad range
of wavelengths,” Cui said. “Each cone is optimally shaped to capture sunlight that would
otherwise pass through the thin solar cell.”
The nanocone arrays were placed on a thin film of bismuth vanadate. Both layers were
then placed on a solar cell made of perovskite, another promising photovoltaic material.
When submerged, the three-layer tandem device immediately began splitting water at a
solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 6.2% -- the theoretical maximum rate for a
bismuth vanadate cell.
The tandem solar cell continued generating hydrogen for more than 10 hours. Cui said the
device has “room for significant improvement in the future.”

Source: Wei Chen and Yongcai Qiu/Stanford