When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
Few technologies are quite as synonymous with sustainable energy as solar power. Solar voltaic cells are nothing new, but the efficiency with which they gather, store and discharge voltage has steadily gained over the years.
With that said, the technology is not without its blemishes. Opponents of widespread solar adoption claim that the panels are too expensive, take too long to pay themselves off, and don't work well enough in low-sun areas. All valid points – and all problems that may soon have a solution through the development a new polymer.
"The mission became clear: find a material that would hold onto more of that light energy and convert it usable electricity."
Solar output improves with polymer integration
A team of researchers from the Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University recently set out to improve solar cell efficiency. What they found was that certain polymers might be added into existing cells or incorporated into new designs to yield far better efficiency.
A team of researchers from the Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University recently set out to improve solar cell efficiency. What they found was that certain polymers might be added into existing cells or incorporated into new designs to yield far better efficiency.
The team realized that when solar cells absorb light energy, some of it is lost as heat. With that in mind, the mission became clear: find a material that would hold onto more of that light energy and convert it usable electricity. To that end, the team used polymers that can produce two charges from a single unit of light, as opposed to the standard one charge per unit. This process is known as singlet fission, and it could lead to solar cells with higher efficiency than the upper end of single junction cells, which is only around 34%.
"Having the two charges on the same molecule means the light-absorbing, energy-producing materials don't have to be arrayed as perfect crystals to produce extra electrical charges," Matthew Sfeir, physicist for Brookhaven Lab's Center for Functional Nanomaterials who led the research, explained in the report. "Instead, the self-contained materials work efficiently when dissolved in liquids, which opens the way for a wide range of industrial-scale manufacturing processes, including printing solar-energy-producing material like ink."
It's an exciting development that may eventually revolutionize the way solar cells are conceived. But first, the team must demonstrate the capability of harnessing that extra electricity in an actual, functioning solar cell.
Solar polymer field gains traction
The team from Brookhaven and Columbia were not the first to connect solar power to polymers. Last September, scientists from the University of Chicago, the Institute for Molecular Engineering and Argonne National Laboratory first unearthed the potential future of polymer-infused solar cells.
The team from Brookhaven and Columbia were not the first to connect solar power to polymers. Last September, scientists from the University of Chicago, the Institute for Molecular Engineering and Argonne National Laboratory first unearthed the potential future of polymer-infused solar cells.
Unlike the more recent study, these polymers do not help gather lost energy, but rather allow for the easier transfer of charges throughout the cell, according to the lab's press release. The new polymer, called PID2, increased the efficiency of electrical power generation by 15 percent when included in a polymer-fullerene mixture – a standard in polymer solar cells.
In essence, the PID2 influenced the fullerene mixture to form fibers that acted as roads for the electrons to reach the electrodes on the sides of a solar cell.
"It's like you're generating a street and somebody that's traveling along the street can find a way to go from this end to another," said Luping Yu, professor in chemistry, fellow in the Institute for Molecular Engineering and a lead researcher.
Polymers may benefit solar cell batteries
A solar cell is only as good as the battery used to store and discharge that electricity. As it stands, energy storage technology is lagging behind solar cell developments. The Solar Energy Association forecasts rooftop solar and accompanying storage systems demand will hit $1 billion by 2020. Once that happens, solar battery solutions will need to make a jump.
A solar cell is only as good as the battery used to store and discharge that electricity. As it stands, energy storage technology is lagging behind solar cell developments. The Solar Energy Association forecasts rooftop solar and accompanying storage systems demand will hit $1 billion by 2020. Once that happens, solar battery solutions will need to make a jump.
That's where polymers come in. Solar energy developer BioSolar suggested in a press release that its polymer-based supercapacitor – yet to be completed – might provide the type of low-cost, high-yield storage required by solar cells of the future.
Dr. David Lee, CEO of BioSolar, pointed out that current lithium-ion batteries are solid long-term solutions, but lack rapid charge or discharge capabilities. The polymer-based supercapacitor, however, should offer an alternative.
"By integrating our BioSuperCap, a low cost polymer-based supercapacitor, as the front-end to battery banks, fewer batteries can be used, and daytime solar energy can be quickly and cost-effectively stored for nighttime use at a substantially lower cost," Dr. Lee explained.
All of these developments have great potential, but they all are not quite to the point of implementation. It will likely take a few more years in the drawing room for these solutions to become viable options for the consumer. With that said, the use of polymers in the field of solar energy has only just barely been researched. In time, this research might bring about a new array of solar solutions – excuse the pun – that could help power the nation for years to come.
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