INFRARED PLASTIC SOLAR CELL

TRIDENT ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY,BBSR

05/09/2014

PRESENTED BY:
NAME : SUSHREE SANGEETA KUNDA
BRANCH : ETC(A2)
SEM : 7th
REG NO : 1101289290
INFRARED PLASTIC SOLAR

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

WHY USE SOLAR CELL

APPLICATION OF SOLAR CELL

CONVENTIONAL SOLAR CELL

DRAWBACKS OF CONVENTIONAL SOLAR

CEL

FUTURE APPLICATION OF SOLAR CELL

WHAT IS NANO TECHNOLOGY ?

INFRARED PLASTIC SOLAR CELL

WORKING OF IR SOLAR CELL

ADVANTAGES OF IR SOLAR CELL

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES
2

ITRODUCTION:

Nanotechnology is the nexus of sciences.

It includes anything smaller than 100 nanometers with
novel properties.
The advent of solar energy just about solved all the
problems.
The conventional solar cells that are used to harness
solar energy are less efficient and cannot function
properly on a cloudy day.
The use of nanotechnology in the solar cells created
an opportunity to overcome this problem , thereby
increasing the efficiency.
This paper deals with an offshoot in the advancement
of nanotechnology and its advantage over commercial
solar cell.
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Why Use Solar Cells?

Low maintenance, long lasting sources of

energy
Provides cost-effective power supplies for
people remote from the main electricity grid
Non-polluting and silent sources of electricity
Convenient and flexible source of small
amounts of power
Renewable and sustainable power, as a means
to reduce global warming
In 2002, the global market for photovoltaic
panels and equipment was valued at 3.5 billion
dollars

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Solar Cells are used in a wide

variety of Applications
Toys, watches,
calculators
Electric fences
Remote lighting
systems
Water pumping
Water treatment
Emergency power
Portable power
supplies
Satellites

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The Solar Cell

The most common type of solar cells are Photovoltaic

Cells (PV cells).
Converts sunlight directly into electricity.
Cells are made of a semiconductor material (e.g.
silicon).
Light strikes the PV cell, and a certain portion is
absorbed.
The light energy (in the form of photons) knocks
electrons loose, allowing them to flow freely, forming
a current.
Metal contacts on the top and bottom of PV cell draws
off the current to use externally as power.

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The Single Crystalline

Silicon Solar Cell

Pure silicon is a poor

conductor of electricity
Doping of silicon with
phosphorus and boron is
necessary to create n-type
and p-type regions
This allows presence of free
electrons and electron-free
holes
The p-n junction generates
an electric field that acts as
a diode, pushing electrons to
flow from the P side to the N
side

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The Conventional Solar Cell

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DRAWBACKS OF CONVENTIONAL SOLAR

CELL:
They are expensive to
manufacture.
They does not work in the
cloudy
days.
They can achieve efficiently
only ten
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Future Applications:
Nano Solar Cells/IR
Solar Cells

Tiny rods are embedded in a semi-conducting plastic layer

sandwiched between two electrodes
Rods act like wires, absorbing light to create an electric
current

Tetrapod
Nanocrystals
May double the efficiency of plastic solar cells
Made of cadmium, tellurium
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WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY?
Nanotechnology is the engineering of
functional systems at the molecular scale.

This covers both current work and

concepts that are more advanced.

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WHAT IS NANO
TECHNOLOGY(CONT):

Nanotechnology is often referred to as general

purpose technology.
It offers better built, longer lasting,cleaner,safer
and smarter products for the home, for medicine
and for industries for ages.
These properties of nanotechnology have been
made use of in solar cells.
Nanotechnology comprises a wide variety of
disciplines:
chemistry, physics ,materials science, molecular
biology and computer science.

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IR Plastic solar cell

Scientists have invented a plastic solar cell that
can turn the suns power into electric energy even
on a cloudy day.
The plastic material uses nanotechnology and
contains the 1stgeneration solar cells that can
harness the suns invisible infrared rays.
This breakthrough made us to believe that
plastic solar cells could one day become more
efficient than the current solar cell.
The researchers combined specially designed
nano particles called quantum dots with a
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polymer to make
thePLASTIC
plastic
that can detect
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SOLAR

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WORKING OF PLASTIC
OLAR
CELL

The solar cell created is actually a hybrid,

comprised of tiny nanorods dispersed in an
organic polymer or plastic.
A layer only 200 nanometers thick is sandwiched
between electrodes and can produce at present about .7
volts.
The electrode layers and nanorods /polymer layers
could be applied in separate coats, making production
fairly easy.
The technology takes advantage of recent advances in
nanotechnology specifically the production of
nanocrystals and nanorods.
The length of the nanorods may be approximately
60nanometers.Then the nanorods are mixed with a plastic
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PLASTIC SOLAR
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semiconductor
called
p3ht-poly-(3-hexylthiophene)
a

WORKING OF PLASTIC SOLAR

CELL(CONT):
The nanorods act like wires. When they absorb light
of a specific wavelength, they generate an electron
plus an electron hole- vacancy in the crystal that
moves around just like an electron.
The electron travels the length of the rod until it is
collected by aluminum electrode.
The hole is transferred to the plastic, which is known
as a hole-carrier, and conveyed to the electrode,
creating a current.
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Advantages :
They are considered to be 30% more
efficient when compared to conventional solar
cells.
They are more efficient and more practical in
application.
Traditional solar cells are bulky panels. This is
very
compact.
Flexible, roller processed solar cells have the
potential
the
suns
power
into
a
clean,
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CONCLUSION:
Plastic solar cells help in exploiting the infrared
radiation from the sun's rays.
They are more effective when compared to the
conventional solar cell.
The major advantage they enjoy is that they can
even work on cloudy days, which is not possible in
the former. They are more compact and less bulkier.
Though at present, cost is a major drawback, it is
bound be solved in the near future as scientists are
working in that direction.
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REFERENCES:
[1
]

[2]
[3]

Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties and

Applications: Edelstein, A. S., Cammarata,
R. C., Eds.; Institute of Physics Publishing: Bristol
and Philadelphia, 1996.near future as scientists are
working in that direction.
As explained earlier, if the solar farms can become
a reality, it could possibly solve the planets
problem of depending too much on the fossil fuels,
without a chance of even polluting the
environment.
Solar energy-fundamentals, design, modeling,
applications- G.N. Tiwari
Thin film solar cells next generation photovoltaic's
and its application- Y Hamakawa

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Thank you 2
all

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ANY
QUERIES?

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