http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —A new version of solar cells created by laboratories at Rice and Pennsylvania State universities could open the door to research on a new class of solar energy devices. http://phys.org/news289030733.html Nanotechnology Wed, 29 May 2013 07:19:01 EST news289030733 (Phys.org) —Devices that harvest energy from the environment require specific environmental conditions; for instance, solar cells and piezoelectric generators require sunlight and mechanical vibration, respectively. Since these conditions don't exist all the time, most energy harvesters don't generate a constant stream of electricity. In order to harvest ubiquitous energy continuously, researchers have designed and fabricated a hybrid energy harvester that integrates a solar cell and piezoelectric generator, enabling it to harvest energy from both sunlight and sound vibration simultaneously. http://phys.org/news285412932.html Nanotechnology Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:00:01 EST news285412932 Why are efficient and affordable solar cells so highly coveted? Volume. The amount of solar energy lighting up Earth's land mass every year is nearly 3,000 times the total amount of annual human energy use. But to compete with energy from fossil fuels, photovoltaic devices must convert sunlight to electricity with a certain measure of efficiency. For polymer-based organic photovoltaic cells, which are far less expensive to manufacture than silicon-based solar cells, scientists have long believed that the key to high efficiencies rests in the purity of the polymer/organic cell's two domains – acceptor and donor. Now, however, an alternate and possibly easier route forward has been shown. http://phys.org/news276786556.html Nanotechnology Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:09:23 EST news276786556 (Phys.org)—A team of interdisciplinary researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has developed a new method for significantly increasing the heat transfer rate across two different materials. Results of the team's study, published in the journal Nature Materials, could enable new advances in cooling computer chips and lighting-emitting diode (LED) devices, collecting solar power, harvesting waste heat, and other applications. http://phys.org/news273847817.html Nanotechnology Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:50:29 EST news273847817 (Phys.org)—In an unprecedented find, a research team including scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory discovered that the three electronic and electrochemical properties having to do with the energy necessary for electrons and molecules to assemble or break apart are not always correlated. This lack of correlation is unexpected and suggests possible explanations for observed differences in organofluorine materials. These popular materials are composed of carbon and fluoride; uses include photovoltaic devices, which turn sunlight into electricity. The research graced the May 2012 cover of Chemical Science. http://phys.org/news272706957.html Chemistry Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:56:23 EST news272706957 (Phys.org)—Stanford University scientists have built the first solar cell made entirely of carbon, a promising alternative to the expensive materials used in photovoltaic devices today. http://phys.org/news270930818.html Nanotechnology Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:33:54 EST news270930818 (Phys.org) -- European researchers have developed a simple thermodynamic method to predict whether a substance can resist the high temperatures normally involved in the production of thin films for photovoltaic devices. The new approach could help scientists in their search for better energy materials. Jonathan Scragg of Uppsala University, Sweden, and his colleagues of the University of Bath, UK, and the University of Luxembourg present their results in ChemPhysChem. http://phys.org/news255336057.html Nanotechnology Fri, 04 May 2012 07:41:10 EST news255336057 (Phys.org) -- A new process developed by scientists at the University of Cambridge has the potential to drive down the cost of manufacturing solar-grade silicon and could increase the use of photovoltaic devices for capturing the sun’s energy. http://phys.org/news254039478.html Technology Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:31:30 EST news254039478 Nature's process for storing solar energy occurs in light-absorbing protein complexes called photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs). Across billions of years of evolution, Nature has retained a common light-absorbing hexameric cofactor core for carrying out the very first chemical reaction of photosynthesis, the light-induced electron transfer across approximately 3 nm. This process has direct analogies to light-driven charge separation in photovoltaic devices. http://phys.org/news253954499.html Nanotechnology Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:56:17 EST news253954499 (PhysOrg.com) -- In the effort to convert sunlight into electricity, photovoltaic solar cells that use conductive organic polymers for light absorption and conversion have shown great potential. Organic polymers can be produced in high volumes at low cost, resulting in photovoltaic devices that are cheap, lightweight and flexible. http://phys.org/news248362356.html Physics Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:33:07 EST news248362356 Preventing the recombination of free charges produced when light strikes a solar cell is one of the main goal of engineers attempting to extract the maximum energy conversion efficiency from their devices. One way to achieve this is by building into the cell a 'heterojunction' between positive (p) and negative (n) type semiconductors, which allows the light-induced positive and negative charge to escape the cell by moving in opposite directions at the heterojunction interface. Mingyong Han at the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering and co-workers1 have now discovered a way to produce high-quality nanoscale heterojunctions, setting the stage for cheaper and more efficient photovoltaic devices. http://phys.org/news232957327.html Nanotechnology Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:23:52 EST news232957327 (PhysOrg.com) -- An invention by a South Dakota State University engineer could improve alternative energy technologies by making it easier for scientists to test new devices. http://phys.org/news225441990.html Technology Tue, 24 May 2011 07:47:34 EST news225441990 (PhysOrg.com) -- Berkeley Lab researchers have found a new mechanism by which the photovoltaic effect can take place in semiconductor thin-films. This new path to energy production brightens the future for photovoltaic technology by overcoming voltage limitations that plague conventional solid-state solar cells. http://phys.org/news189182461.html Nanotechnology Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:41:33 EST news189182461