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 ...
polymer solar cells promise to provide ways to easily and efficiently capture the abundant energy streaming in from the sun every day. Catherine Bacon in Chemistry World reports that U.S. researchers have recently found a way to improve polymer solar cells’ stability in space so that they can power spacecraft.
Inorganic solar cells, like the ones made from silicon, have been tested as power sources for spacecraft. The pros? They are efficient at what they do, which is taking in solar energy and converting it into electrical energy. The cons? They are heavy and expensive to launch. Net result? The amount of energy they capture is effectively negated by the energy it takes to get them into space.
The organic polymer solar cell versions are lighter, more flexible, and cheaper to produce so they are appealing as power sources on satellites. But the problem is that the X-ray radiation out in space degrades the cells and make them inefficient. The X-rays travel through the photoactive polymer layer and cause the device’s voltage to drop.
To address the X-ray problem, a team led by Yang Yang from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Roderick Devine from the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, found that the interface between the polymer layer and the electrode of the cell was critical to how the cell took in X-rays.
The team discovered that a charge accumulated at the interface after radiation exposure. This charge was causing the loss of voltage. So the researchers changed the interface so that less charge accumulated and made the cell more stable. They tested a variety of different electrode interface and established that metal oxide/metal interfaces with the photoactive polymer layer weren’t as much damaged by the X-ray radiation.
Bacon reports:
Jianyong Ouyang from the National University of Singapore, an expert in polymeric electronic materials and devices, is impressed by Yang’s research. ‘The work is practically significant in that it provides guidance for improving polymer solar cells,’ he says.
‘In the immediate future, we will continue to focus our efforts on the interface to gain a greater understanding and control of its properties,’ concludes Yang.
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