At the University of Washington, the Multidisciplinary Research Initiative (MURI) team has succeeded in creating a type of airborne solar cell that can potentially be used for the Air Force's unmanned aerial vehicles. They were able to create a new type of Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) that can harvest energy better and therefore, fuel flights for longer.
Dr. Minoru Taya, the group's lead researcher, was able to justify this by explaining that “These kinds of solar cells have a more specific power of convergence efficiency (PCE), very clean energy and easy scalability to a larger skin area of the craft, as well as low-temperature processing, which leads to lower costs overall”.
Usually, a DSSC is made through the use of differing types of semiconductors, electrolytes and photo sensitive dyes. The DSSC that Dr. Taya's team made varies in the fact that it uses organic materials and moth-eye film in order to capture photons. Once the photons are captured, they become a synthesized electron that can store energy.
This team has been trying to take on this huge feat for several years. In a previous attempt to test solar cells, they had attached a DSSC to the wings of a toy airplane. Although the propeller started, it was unable to take off due to the glass based DSSC being too heavy.
In the future, the MURI team looks forward to improving their design to increase possible flight times and further suit the strict requirements of the Air Force's unmanned aerial vehicles they one day hope to power.
Up next is a more colorful approach to solar cells production.
(Information provided by CleanTechnica)
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