Quantum Dots
Bottom-Up Growth Key to 4.9% Efficient QD Solar Cells
09 April 2013POSTED IN Research
New research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts (US), shows that bottom-up-grown one-dimensional nanostructures can significantly improve the performance of colloidal quantum dot (QD) solar cells. In fact, the MIT team demonstrated a solar power conversion efficiency of 4.9%, which is among the highest reported for zinc-oxide-based quantum dot photovoltaics (QDPV).
Cadmium-Free Tetrapod Quantum Dots for PV
12 February 2013POSTED IN Research
Quantum Materials Corporation (QMC) announces a new class of cadmium-free, non rare earth elements (REE), non-heavy metal tetrapod quantum dots (NHM-TPQD) developed to meet worldwide concerns regarding nanoparticle biocompatibility and sustainability.
Multiple Exciton Generation Boosts Solar Efficiency
30 October 2012POSTED IN Research
Scientists from the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have demonstrated the first high-efficiency quantum dot solar cell (QDSC) with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) exceeding 100% for photons with energies in the solar range. Moreover, these QDSCs, which potentially could be fabricated at very low cost, could reach 44% efficiency through Multiple Exciton Generation (MEG). Current commercial technologies are limited to 31%.
Quantum Dot Solar Cell Achieves World-Record 7% Efficiency
10 August 2012POSTED IN Research
Scientists at the University of Toronto, Canada, and the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia collaboratively have created a colloidal quantum dot (CQD) thin-film solar cell with a certified world-record efficiency of 7%. The 37% increase over the previous certified world record was made possible by a technical advance called “hybrid passivation scheme”.
Chinese, US Researchers Collaborate on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Carbon Nanotube Electrodes
02 May 2012POSTED IN Research
In a collaborative research project between Rice University, Houston, Texas (US), and Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, scientists hope to create better performing, cheaper and more robust dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) by replacing expensive platinum with carbon nanotubes and iodine electrolyte with sulfide-based electrolyte.
Quantum Dots Win $100,000 for University of Utah Students
24 April 2012POSTED IN Applications News
Students at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah (US) recently won first place and $100,000 (USD) at the regional University of Colorado (CU) Cleantech New Venture Challenge in Boulder, Colorado for their work with quantum dots. These man-made, semiconductor nanocrystals can emit a wider range of light with less energy than existing materials and many believe they will be used in future generations of solar panels, televisions, cell phones and related products.
Magnolia Solar Develops PV Device Structure that Suppresses Recombination
17 February 2012POSTED IN Research
Magnolia Solar Corporation, a company based in Woburn, Massachusetts (US), and Albany, New York (US), that develops and commercializes thin-film solar cell technologies employing nanostructured materials, has created a device structure that suppresses undesirable recombination events. This could enable photovoltaic devices to reach new levels of performance.
Charged Quantum Dots Dramatically Boost Solar Cell Efficiency
26 January 2012POSTED IN Research
Researchers from the University at Buffalo (UB), Army Research Laboratory and Air Force Office of Scientific Research have developed a nanomaterials-based technology that has the potential to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic cells up to 45%.
NREL Creates What May be Third-Generation Solar Cell
04 January 2012POSTED IN Research
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have demonstrated the first solar cell that produces a photocurrent with an external quantum efficiency (the spectrally resolved ratio of collected charge carriers to incident photons) greater than 100%.
Solar Wind and Quantum Dots Among Los Alamos Top 2011 Stories
23 December 2011POSTED IN Applications News
Los Alamos National Laboratory's top 10 science stories of 2011 illustrate the broad variety of scientific excellence that's the hallmark of the Laboratory. This year's stories include alternative energy research, world record magnetic fields, disease tracking, the study of Mars, climate change, fuel cells, solar wind, and magnetic reconnection.
Premier Power to Provide 16.2 MW of Solar in Bulgaria
28 September 2011POSTED IN Applications News
Premier Power, a global leader in the development, design, engineering and construction of solar power systems for commercial, government and utility markets, today announced it will build four photovoltaic (PV) power plants totaling 16.2 MW in Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria.
Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells with 6% Efficiency
20 September 2011POSTED IN Research
Researchers from the University of Toronto, the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, and Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) have created a solar cell based on colloidal quantum dots (CQD) that has 6% solar AM1.5G power-conversion efficiency.
From Solar Paint to Instant Battery Charge, Future Looks Great for Nanotechnology
11 August 2011POSTED IN Applications News
According to experts at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), some of the technology innovations and devices that could make the biggest impact in our world are so small that millions of them could fit on the head of a pin.
Doped Semiconductor Nanocrystals Promising for Solar Cells
18 July 2011POSTED IN Research
Researchers from Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University have shown that semiconductor nanocrystals can be doped in a way that allows them to be used as conductors, making them useful in many electronic and electro-optical devices including solar cells.
Quantum Dots Paired with Fullerenes Could Mean Improved Photovoltaics
11 May 2011POSTED IN Research
Scientists at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have assembled nanoscale pairings of colloidal quantum dots linked to carbon-based fullerene nanoparticles that show promise as miniaturized power sources.
MIT Researchers use Virus-Templated Nanotubes to Improve Solar Efficiency
26 April 2011POSTED IN Research
Researchers at MIT have shown an improvement of the power-conversion efficiency of solar cells by using a virus as templates for self-assembled carbon nanotubes.
Doped Quantum Dots may Improve Solar Cells
06 April 2011POSTED IN Research
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have successfully doped semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots, thereby opening the way for improving quantum dot properties for applications such as solar cells.
Size Matters for Quantum Dot Multiple-Exciton Generation
30 March 2011POSTED IN Research
Mark Lusk and colleagues at the Colorado School of Mines have verified that the efficiency of multiple-exciton generation in quantum dots is dependent on their size.
Research Update: Increasing Solar Cell Efficiency
21 February 2011POSTED IN Applications Features
As researchers develop third generation solar cells, much of their focus is on improving efficiency. New dyes, nanostructures, and quantum dots are helping new technology to achieve more.
Self-Assembled Monolayer Triples Quantum Dot Solar Cell Efficiency
24 February 2011POSTED IN Research
Stanford University researchers have found that adding a single layer of organic molecules to a quantum-dot sensitized solar cell can increase its efficiency three-fold.
