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Thursday, October 14, 2010

CSB #2: First self- repairing photovoltaic cell created

First Self-repairing Photovoltaic Cell Created
Definitions:
photovoltaic cell- A solar cell that converts sunlight directly into electricity.
nanotube- A cabon molecule that forms a tube-like structure, which when combined in layers, creates an immensly strong material.

Summary:
For many years, scientists have been trying to mimic plant's qualities of converting sunlight into energy using synthetic materials. However, the sun's rays destroy many of these photovoltaic cells over time. Scientists at the Massachusis Institute of Technology has suceeded in creating a self-renewing complexes that can convert light into electricity. The infastructure was made up of light harvesting proteins: walled nanotubes and disk shaped lipids. As the cell is exposed to solar radiation, the sunlight it converted into electrons. These nanotubes channel the electrons, creating a current. What makes this invention so unique is that scientists added a soap molecule that breaks down and reassembles the cell, making it self-repairing. This technology increases the efficientcy of alternate energy sources by 300% compared to a non-regenrable photovoltaic cell.

Discussion:
This article inspires me becauses it could potentially revolutionize alternative energy technology. This new technology could replace modern harmful energy sources such as oil. Personally, I think this is a great advancement towards alternative energy sources because it has low maintence due to the cells being sel-repairing and does not harm the environment. If we resort to these kinds of energy sources, although the short term effects may be unfavorable due to the expense of solar cells, the long term effects could benefit us greatly as it will sustain low evergy costs and provide a clean way to create energy. My only concern is wether or not people will turn to this energy source in the future. Many people may overlook the long term effects and focus soley on the short term consequences which would discourage them from using photovoltaic energy cells.

Questions:
How does the surfactant (a solution of soap molecules) make the photovoltaic cell result in renewing itself and making it self-repairing?
Is there a way to make the photovoltaic cell more efficient and convert more energy than the standard one?

Citations:
Article: Dume, Belle. "Self-Reparing Photovoltaic Cell not damaged by the Sun."
     Environmental Research Web. N.p., 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
     http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/news/43700
Picture:
Web link Web link"40% Usage in Solar Cells." A Discovery Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
     <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/stateoftheart_m.php>.