High-efficiency solar cell can also be applied to flexible surfaces
The efficiency of thin-film solar cells that can be applied to flexible surfaces has been increased by approximately 30 percent using graphene film synthesized at the nanoscale.
AA
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ali Olğar, a faculty member in the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Science and Letters at Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University, stated that they have been working on thin-film solar cells for 3 years at the university's Central Research Laboratory Nanotechnology Application and Research Center.
Stating that they are working to increase cell efficiency by applying two-dimensional nanomaterials to thin-film solar cells within the scope of a project supported by TÜBİTAK, Olğar explained that they have produced graphene in doped and undoped forms using the university's domestic resources and have succeeded in applying these nanoscale structures to thin-film-based solar cells made of copper, zinc, tin, and sulfur, known as CZTS.
Pointing out that they have increased energy efficiency by approximately 30 percent in this way, Olğar noted the following:
"The solar cells we see outside are generally silicon-based, and the thickness of their silicon wafer is approximately 200 microns. The thin-film solar cells we produce are about 100 times thinner, meaning 1-2 microns. Therefore, when you reduce the thickness of a material and scale it down to the nanoscale, that material exhibits completely different properties. These materials in thin-film form can absorb incoming sunlight and can have high cell efficiency. Thus, unlike silicon-based solar cells, they can be made at a lower thickness, and since elements such as copper, zinc, tin, and sulfur are abundant in nature, the cost can be made even lower."
Pointing out that traditional thin-film solar cells are normally produced on rigid substrates such as glass, Olğar said:
"Another feature that makes thin-film solar cells attractive is that they can be applied to flexible substrates. They are integrated into textiles such as bags and clothing, and their application areas are diversifying. The thin-film solar cells we have made are at the R&D stage, but there is also the potential for them to be moved to an industrial scale and produced in larger sizes. With a flexible thin-film solar cell mounted on our backpack, it will be possible to charge a power source in our bag by converting sunlight into electrical energy while walking."