Testing spray-on solar cells
A microscopic sensor to detect toxins needs a power source. Xiaomei Jiang and colleagues at the University of South Florida respond with an array of 20 polymer-based cells, each about the size of a 12-point lower-case letter O.
The polymer they selected has the same electrical properties as silicon wafers, but can be dissolved and printed onto flexible material. “I think these materials have a lot more potential than traditional silicon,” Jiang said. “They could be sprayed on any surface that is exposed to sunlight — a uniform, a car, a house.”
The next step is to test the array with the sensors. The team hopes to generate 15 volts by the end of the year.
[Sun Spray by littleblackcamera]
February 10th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Pretty neat. There is a University in the UK, Swansea I think, developing this same spray on solar cell material
March 8th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Is this the same spray on technology that Spark Solar from Austrilia is developing?