A_1110_ATW_Transparent

Transparent Conductive Material Creates Power-Generating Windows

Nov. 5, 2010

A new transparent thin film material fabricated by scientists at the DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory could be the key to developing transparent solar panels and windows that actually absorb solar energy and turn it into electrical power.

 

A new transparent thin film material fabricated by scientists at the DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory could be the key to developing transparent solar panels and windows that actually absorb solar energy and turn it into electrical power.

The new material consists of a semiconducting polymer doped with carbon-rich fullerenes.  A honeycomb-patterned think film forms hexagon-shaped cells over an area up to several millimeters.

“Though such honeycomb-patterned thin films have previously been made using conventional polymers like polystyrene, this is the first report of such a material that blends semiconductors and fullerenes to absorb light and efficiently generate charge and charge separation,” says lead scientist Mircea Cotlet, a physical chemist at Brookhaven’s Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN).

The honeycomb thin films were created by a flow of micrometer-size water droplets across a layer of polymer/fullrene blend solution. The water droplets self-assemble into arrays within the solution, and then the solvent evaporates, forming the honeycomb pattern.

“This is a cost-effective method, with potential to be scaled up from the laboratory to industrial-scale production,” says Zhihua Xu, materials scientist at the CFN.

The new material could create significant advances in regards to sustainability and energy-efficiency, allowing for homes and facilities that could combine this window technology with a solar roof for a clean, cost-effective energy solution.

Sponsored Recommendations

Flooring Trends, Technology and Sustainability with Mannington Commercial

Mannington's VP of commercial design, Roby Isaac, talks about what to expect in design trends, how technology is shaping flooring products and the company's latest push for purpose...

An All-Star Team Reimagines the Historic Fulton Fish Market

The 1907 Tin Building travels seaward to its now Pier 17 location as Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s latest culinary endeavor, carried by fellow New Yorkers designers Roman and Williams...

ASID Report Examines the Rise of Adaptive Reuse

Read on to see which CRE markets are benefiting and how are they riding the renovation wave.

The November IG Takeover: CRÈME Architecture & Design

Get to know founder Jun Aizaki and learn how you can host a takeover of your own.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of I+S Design, create an account today!