According to recent reports from the Physicists Organization Network, a team of U.S. scientists has developed a groundbreaking type of photovoltaic material that promises to revolutionize solar panel technology. These new solar panels are not only more efficient but also significantly cheaper to produce. For over four decades, researchers have been searching for a bulk photovoltaic material capable of harnessing not just ultraviolet light, but also visible and infrared energy. Now, this long-sought breakthrough has finally arrived.
The material was created by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, and it offers three major advantages. First, it allows for the production of thinner solar panels compared to traditional silicon-based models that currently dominate the market. Second, its raw materials are far less expensive than those used in high-end thin-film solar cells. Third, the material is ferroelectric, meaning its internal electric polarity can be switched on and off. This property could push the theoretical limits of solar cell efficiency beyond what's currently achievable.
A key challenge with current solar panels is that photons collected from sunlight often scatter within the cell, reducing efficiency. To guide these particles effectively, multiple layers of different materials are needed, which leads to energy loss with each layer. The new material reduces the number of required layers and minimizes energy waste. Additionally, because it’s ferroelectric, it uses less energy to direct the flow of particles, further improving performance.
It took the research team five years to develop this material, which is composed of perovskite crystals made from potassium citrate and lanthanum gallate. The results show that it outperforms existing ferroelectric materials and can absorb six times more solar energy. The researchers believe that further optimization of the material’s composition will lead to even greater improvements in energy efficiency.
Jonathan Spanneil from Drexel University’s Materials Science and Engineering department commented: “What makes this material so surprising is that it’s made from inexpensive, non-toxic, and abundant elements—unlike many high-efficiency thin-film solar cells that rely on rare or hazardous materials.â€
To confirm the material’s potential, the team used specialized tools to demonstrate that it can channel energy in one direction rather than scattering between layers, greatly reducing energy loss. This phenomenon, known as the bulk photovoltaic effect, has been known to scientists since the 1970s. However, it had only been observed in ultraviolet light until now. Most of the sun’s energy lies in the visible and infrared spectrum, and with this new material, researchers have successfully demonstrated the effect in those ranges as well.
Furthermore, the team found that by adjusting the composition of the material, they can reduce its energy band gap. Spanneil explained: “The original band gap of this material is in the ultraviolet range, but increasing the percentage of niobium oxide by just 10% shifts the band gap into the visible range, bringing it closer to the ideal value for solar energy conversion.â€
The in vitro culture of cells and tissues has become an indispensable part of life research and practice. A wide variety of cell types are cultured, from viruses to bacteria and fungi, from human cells to animal and plant cells. Some cells and tissues can be grown in suspension, but a considerable number of mammalian cells require surface attachment. Therefore, in addition to good transparency, non-toxicity and sterility, the culture flasks, Culture Plates and culture dishes used to provide the in vitro culture environment of cells also need to be surface-modified to enable them to adhere, divide and grow.
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