Inexpensive solar cell technology created

NEWARK, N.J., July 19 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have developed a technology to produce inexpensive solar cells that can be painted or printed on flexible plastic sheets.

New Jersey Institute of Technology Professor Somenath Mitra said the process is so simple, even homeowners will someday be able to print sheets of the solar cells with inexpensive home-based inkjet printers and then attach the product to a wall or roof to create their own power stations.

Purified silicon, also used for making computer chips, is a core material for fabricating conventional solar cells, Mitra said. However, the processing of a material such as purified silicon is beyond the reach of most consumers.

"Developing organic solar cells from polymers, however, is a cheap and potentially simpler alternative," he said. "We foresee a great deal of interest in our work because solar cells can be inexpensively printed or simply painted on exterior building walls and-or roof tops. Imagine some day driving in your hybrid car with a solar panel painted on the roof, which is producing electricity to drive the engine. The opportunities are endless."

Mitra and his team reported the research in the June 21 issue of the Journal of Materials Chemistry.