New And Improved Solar Cells Inspired From Moth Eyes
By Nick March 3, 2008
Solar cells are small devices that convert the solar energy into electricity as a result of the photovoltaic effect. These cells are made of monocrystalline silicon wafer.
According to Peng Jiang, assistant professor at the University of Florida, the solar cells are not using its full potential because the silicon is very reflective - they reflect almost a third of the sunlight. Peng Jiang and his research collaborators, Chih-Hung Sun from the University of Florida and Bin Jiang from the Portland State University, have found a way to improve the efficiency of the solar cells.
Their inspiration came from moth eyes because “moth eyes are not very reflective” and the idea is that “you want more of the sunlight absorbed, than reflected”. The moth eyes are designed to be a defense system that protects them from nocturnal attackers and this technique could be adapted to work in a solar cell and the reflection could reduced almost to nothing.
Peng Jiang’s project is based on the same effect as in the case of solar cells - nanoparticles in a liquid are put on a wafer and the wafer is being spun, then the nanoparticles are arranging themselves into an array pattern as Jiang confirms: “it is self-assembling”.
This process has two more advantages besides its efficiency - it’s very cheap and it’s not difficult to make. Jiang is very confident that his project will make it “because of the simplicity of the process, there should be no reason it shouldn’t work. There should be no limitation to expansion.” These solar cells have yet to get into production but Peng Jiang says that as soon as the design improves, a company will start manufacturing them.
This technology looks bright and it could really make it and this sure is a big step in the use of renewable energy.
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So, conclusion: moths are good for something?
Now that we’ve gotten that “something” out of the moths, let’s eradicate them. Thank you.
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