Significant success in creating solar cells as thin as bubbles

Riyadh: Significant success in creating solar cells as thin as bubbles has been achieved. It is now possible to make solar cells so thin and light that they can stay on top of a bubble.Experts in the Department of Physics and Engineering at Shah Abdullah University of Science and Technology have developed ultra-thin solar cells with inkjet technology. Now they will make it much easier to power very small robots, drones, sensitive sensors, body adhesive biosensors and other devices.Lightweight, thin and flexible solar cells can help deliver energy to biosensors, robots and drones

"With this invention, an electronic skin of a robot can be made that can automatically generate electricity from the sun," says Dr. Elvisse Bihar, an expert on the team. Thanks to this invention, the need for space-heavy batteries will be eliminated because our invention will be able to generate electricity both inside and outside the room.

Until then, the thinnest solar cells have been made in two ways: spin coating and thermal evaporation technology. But solar cells made in these ways can only be molded into rigid, rigid and special shapes. That's why experts have used inkjet technology to lay one layer after another, resulting in a revolutionary solar cell.

A transparent and conductive polymer called PEDOT(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene) or PSS( poly polystyrene sulfonate)was used. It contains a photovoltaic material that absorbs light between the electrode layers, like a sandwich. To protect the entire solar cell, another waterproof material, called paraffin, was then applied to it.

But making ink for this process was a big problem and it was almost impossible to get drops of the required size. But after this success, a solar cell was made on glass. Thus, its efficiency was 4.73%, which is a very good effort in the initial stage.

But the destination of this revolutionary solar cell is still a long way off because on the one hand it has to increase its efficiency and on the other hand it remains to work on its practical aspects.

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