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PremiumVIVAnews -Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) managed to find a way to increase the efficiency of the process of converting sunlight into energy significantly.
How, they used a virus to do the process Assembly at the microscopic level. As for the "work" done the virus was among others is interacting with carbon nanotubes.
Carbon nano tube, as known, offers the potential for improvement of sebalumnya technology, especially in the areas of energy storage such as fuel cells and thermocell.
In the case of solar panels, MIT mentions, microscopic-sized cylindrical cavity composed of pure carbon can improve the efficiency of it turns out that the collection of electrons from the surface of solar cells. However, researchers face several challenges when dealing with a nanotube.
The first problem, the creation of carbon nanotubes generally produces two types of nanotubes. Some are like semiconductors that allow electricity to flow, and sometimes not. This is the type of favorable because it can improve the performance of solar cells.
The second type is generated has to be like a metal function like cable. Always allow electricity to flow. This reduces the performance of solar panel products produced.
The second issue, the nanotubes is likely to be gathering. This also lowers the level of effectiveness. This is where the virus is useful.
MIT researchers found that a version of the virus that has been genetically modified, called M13 commonly infect bacteria, can be used to control the arrangement of nanotubes on the surface, creating a tube-the tube that remain separate so that it does not cause short-circuit and keep the tube-the tube remained far apart from each other stick.
According to Angela Belcher, Professor of Energy at MIT who chaired the research, the process is just add one simple step in the process of making solar cells. "This process is also not difficult for adapted by production facilities that exist today," said Belcher, as quoted from the Earth Techling, may 2, 2011.
Belcher, was the system ditelitinya tested and using solar cells of the type referred to by the color-sensitive solar cells (dye-sensitized). However, his team was confident that the technique could also be applied to other types of solar cells.
In the trials, they managed to increase the efficiency of energy conversion from 8 percent to 10.6 percent. That is, using this technique, an increase of around 32 percent or almost one per three times won. (eh)
Found, the Virus to Optimize solar cells
