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MIT announced on its website on April 26 that researchers at the university had recently developed a new technology that could increase the photoelectric conversion efficiency of solar cells by nearly 30% through a virus called "M13." Related papers were published in the latest issue of Nature Nanotechnology.
Previous studies have found that carbon nanotubes can improve solar cell conversion efficiency. Ideally, carbon nanotubes will collect more electrons, increase the surface area of ​​the solar cell, and generate more current. However, MIT researchers found that the technology also has certain limitations. There are two kinds of carbon nanotubes, which can be divided into semiconductor carbon nanotubes and wire-like carbon nanotubes according to their functions. The two nanotubes not only have different effects, but also tend to aggregate, which seriously affects the conversion efficiency.
Researchers found that M13 virus can solve this problem well. The virus is 880 nanometers in length, simple in structure, easy to handle, and harmless to the human body. A peptide in the M13 virus attaches to the CNTs, ensuring that the nanotubes are in place and avoiding adhesion to other CNTs. Each virus uses about 300 protein molecules to control about 5 to 10 nanotubes. Experiments show that the new solar cell with virus structure can increase the photoelectric conversion efficiency from 8% of ordinary solar cells to 10.6%, while the new system only increases by 0.1% in weight.
The researchers found that in addition to fixing carbon nanotubes, the M13 virus also produces titanium dioxide, and titanium dioxide particles can effectively increase the electron transfer efficiency. This substance is also a major component of the "Gretzel battery." "Gretzel Battery" is also called a dye-sensitized solar cell and works by simulating photosynthesis to generate electricity. The inventor Michael Gretzel, director of the photonics and interface laboratory at the Federal Institute for Polytechnics in Lausanne, Switzerland, was awarded the Finnish "Millennium Technology Award" for this technology. In addition, the M13 virus also makes carbon nanotubes water-soluble, making it easier to add to solar panels at room temperature, thereby reducing production costs.
The researchers said that the discovery that the two types of carbon nanotubes have different effects in solar cells is also an important result of this research, which has not been demonstrated before. Semiconductor nanotubes can improve the performance of solar cells, but the role of wire-like nanotubes is just the opposite. This discovery may help to design more efficient nano-cells, piezoelectric materials, or other power-related materials.
Angela Belcher, a professor at MIT who is in charge of the study, said the technology can also be used to design other virus-enhanced solar cells, including quantum dots and organic solar cells. The technology also has great potential for improving the conversion efficiency of ordinary solar cells, but it depends on the further development of biotechnology.
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