Marine Mania- Looking to Ancient Life to Solve Today's Problems

     Engineers at Oregon State University and Portland State University have found a new way to potentially triple the electrical output of a conventional dye sensitized solar cell through the utilization of single celled marine life forms known as diatoms. Diatoms are a type of common unicellular algae that appear in a large variety of forms and have existed from as early as the Jurassic Period. They are well known for their unique cell wall made of silica and are readily available. Normally, they are used as a tool to monitor environmental condition and have never really been employed for electronic applications.
     This process is initiated by allowing the diatoms to settle on a conductive glass surface. The organic material is then removed, leaving their shells on the glass surface in order to create a template. Various biological agents are combined with titanium to create titanium dioxide particles that are used to create a thin film that becomes a semiconductor for the solar device.
     Although the exact physics of this device has not been understood yet, it has been deduced that that the holes in the shells increase the interactions between the dyes and the photons and therefore convert light into energy at a better rate. This is accomplished by allowing the photons bounce around inside of the shell, resulting in more energy.
     This new process for creating dye sensitized solar cells has many advantages as well as disadvantages. One main disadvantage is that the process is a little more expensive than the current process for making dye sensitive solar cells. This disadvantage is almost negligible considering that the output nearly triples. Some of the advantages of utilizing diatoms also include a decrease the cost of production and a simpler process to create the cell.
     At this point in time, this process is still being developed and has not been put into large scale use yet.
     After exploring the depths of the oceans, look out for what comes next from the skies above us.


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