New carbon films improve prospects of solar energy devices

New research by Yale University scientists helps pave the way for the next generation of solar cells, a renewable energy technology that directly converts solar energy into electricity. In a pair of recent papers, Yale engineers report a novel and cost-effective way to improve the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells through the application of thin, smooth carbon nanotube films. These films could be used to produce hybrid carbon/silicon solar cells with far greater power-conversion efficiency than reported in this system to date. "Our approach bridges the cost-effectiveness and excellent electrical and optical properties of novel nanomaterials with well-established, high efficiency silicon solar cell technologies," said André D. Taylor , assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at Yale and a principal investigator of the research. The researchers reported their work in two papers published in December, one in the journal Energy and Environmental Science and one in Nano Letters. Mark A. Reed , a professor of electrical engineering and applied physics at Yale, is also a principal investigator. Silicon, an abundant element, is an ideal material for solar cells because its optical properties make it an intrinsically efficient energy converter.