Researchers have developed a way to create cheaper solar cells by utilizing two compounds found in the shell of shrimp and tasty crustaceans.The shells of shrimp have two chemicals, chitin and chitosan that are much cheaper and abundant than expensive matels such as ruthenium, similar to platinum that are used in the production of nanostructured solar-cells.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London, have used a technique called hydrothermal carbonization to create carbon quamtum dots which absorb UV light and act as semi-conductors in solar cells.Then these are coated with zinc oxide nanorods to form the solar cells.
"This could be a great new way to make these versatile, quick and easy to produce solar cells from readily available, sustainable materials. Once we've improved their efficiency they could be used anywhere that solar cells are used now, particularly to charge the kinds of devices people carry with them every day" Dr Joe Briscoe said, one of the research team member.
Professor of Sustainable Materials Technology Magdalena Titirici at QMUL added, "New techniques mean that we can produce exciting new materials from organic by-products that are already easily available. Sustainable materials can be both high-tech and low-cost.We've also used biomass, in that case algae, to make the kinds of supercapacitors that can be used to store power in consumer electronics, in defibrillators and for energy recovery in vehicles."
Now it is in the process of development, the bio-mass solar cells have low efficiency.If this can be improved, they could be used in everything from wearable chargers for tablets, phones and smartwatches, to semi-transparent films over window.
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