The future solar city will be driven by windows that can generate electricity

The future solar city will be driven by windows that can generate electricity

The ability to make "smart windows" have power generation is the future direction of development, and scientists will go even further. They will make "smart windows" widely used in people's daily lives.

Dye-sensitized solar cells are a thin, flexible material that mimics the principle of photosynthesis. They can produce transparent electronic circuits that can be embedded in windows and installed in windows. The building can use such windows. powered by. One day, this material will have more advantages than today's solar panel technology. However, due to the lack of understanding of how photosensitizing dyes interact with semiconductor surfaces at the molecular level, the technology is still unable to further improve efficiency.

A study published earlier this year in the journal Nanoscale further revealed the mechanism of interaction between dyes and semiconductor surfaces. The results from the University of Cambridge scientists at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory can help develop a new technology that can help cities become more energy efficient by harnessing the power generated by the windows.

The study simulates the solar cell windows that are fully assembled between the organic dye and the semiconductor surface, as well as the molecular structure of the working electrode where the electrode is the conductor and the current will flow through. Sensitized dyes are adsorbed on the surface of nanoporous titanium dioxide membranes. From sunscreens to pigments and food colors, titanium dioxide is everywhere. Previous studies have simulated the molecular structure of the individual components that make up a solar cell window, but did not consider the effect that the chemical composition of each component of the solar cell may have on the efficiency of the solar cell.

The author of the study, Jacqui Cole, head of the Molecular Engineering Research Group at Cambridge University, said in a statement: "Our research has demonstrated that certain chemical components can significantly affect the photovoltaic performance of solar cells, some of which have previously It has been neglected.We only need to properly improve the performance of these solar cells, which can make them more competitive because the relationship between price and performance determines the economical efficiency of the solar cell industry.Compared with other solar cell technologies, The cost of manufacturing dye-sensitized solar cells is very cheap."

Recently, there have been some other studies that are developing similar technologies that are expected to effectively absorb sunlight over a wide range of areas to obtain electricity. Researchers from Michigan State University have built similar transparent solar panels. According to scientists, if the technology can be applied to the country’s billions of square meters of usable glass surfaces, it could completely replace fossil fuels. Another study from MIT combined the artificial DNA helix with dyes to obtain light energy, although this particular mechanism has not yet been imaged into materials such as windows or textiles.

In Cole's study, further understanding of the interaction between the dye and the TiO2 structure will provide a "tool" for the molecular engineering of dyes that are more suitable for dye-sensitized solar cells. This dye helps artificial materials to obtain light from the sun, similar to how plants harvest light during photosynthesis. The dye molecules are excited in sunlight, allowing the energy to flow through the conductive titanium dioxide so that the dye is absorbed.

Cole said: "This stimulates the current in the loop."

Instead, they used an organic dye called “MK-2,” which is currently in the lab's experimental phase. However, metal organic dyes have already begun commercialization. Cole also pointed out that a tower building in Graz, Austria, has used power windows in the top part of the tower.

“So far, the commercialization of solar windows using this technology is being actively promoted, and some of the exemplary buildings that they are powered on have also been built.”

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