03 November 2009
Nanowire breakthrough to boost solar energy conversion
A team of Danish nanophysicists has developed a new method for manufacturing nanowires and believes the discovery will have great potential for the development of nanoelectronics and highly efficient solar cells.
PhD student Peter Krogstrup, from the Nano-Science Center at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, developed the method during his dissertation. He said: "We have changed the recipe for producing nanowires. This means we can produce nanowires that contain two different semiconductors – GaInAs and InAs. It is a big breakthrough because, for first time on a nanoscale, we can combine the good characteristics of the two materials, thus gaining new possibilities for the electronics of the future."
According to the university, approximately 1% of the world's electricity is derived from solar energy, mainly because of the difficulties in conversion. Krogstrup claimed it is a great advantage for the researchers to be able to combine different semiconductors in the same nanowire. "Different materials capture energy from the sun in different and quite specific absorption areas. When we manufacture nanowires of GaInAs and InAs, which each have their own absorption area, they can collectively capture energy from a much wider area.
We can therefore use more solar energy if we produce nanowires from the two superconductors and use them for solar cells."
Author
Graham Pitcher
Supporting Information
Websites
http://nano.ku.dk/english
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