PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Light propagation in solar cells made visible

Light propagation in solar cells made visible
2014-12-05
(Press-News.org) This news release is available in German.

How can light which has been captured in a solar cell be examined in experiments? Jülich scientists have succeeded in looking directly at light propagation within a solar cell by using a trick. The photovoltaics researchers are working on periodic nanostructures that efficiently capture a portion of sunlight which is normally only poorly absorbed.

Until recently, light trapping within periodically nanostructured solar cells could only be analysed using indirect methods, as captured light is not visible from outside of the solar cell. However, the quantum mechanical tunnelling effect of light allows it to be tracked if a light-conducting component is brought extremely close to the cell's surface. Through use of a glass fibre tip, the researchers were able to measure the amount of light that had actually been captured in the solar cell using a method called near-field optical microscopy.

Light trapping plays a particular important role in optimizing thin-film solar cells. These solar cells are easier to manufacture and require less material than conventional crystalline solar cells, but they are not yet as efficient. The layer in which energy conversion takes place is only about one thousandth of a millimetre thick. Therefore, longer wavelengths in the infrared region are only poorly absorbed when the cell is exposed to direct sunlight.

Periodically nanopatterned interface layers allow for better absorption of the incident light. These interfaces couple incident light into the thin silicon layer. Based on the new experimental approach, scientists from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research at Forschungszentrum Jülich showed that there is a direct link between the nature of the nanostructure, the absorption of specific wavelengths of light, and in particular the efficiency of the solar cell. The approach, presented in the specialist journal Nano Letters (DOI: 10.1021/nl503249n), also opens a range of new possibilities for investigating applied nano-optical components.

INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Light propagation in solar cells made visible

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NIST study 'makes the case' for RFID forensic evidence management

2014-12-05
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags--devices that can transmit data over short distances to identify objects, animals or people--have become increasingly popular for tracking everything from automobiles being manufactured on an assembly line to zoo animals in transit to their new homes. Now, thanks to a new NIST report, the next beneficiaries of RFID technology may soon be law enforcement agencies responsible for the management of forensic evidence. A typical RFID system consists of a microchip programmed with identifying data--the "tag"--and a two-way radio transmitter-receiver, ...

Poor semen quality linked to hypertension, other health problems, Stanford study finds

2014-12-05
A study of more than 9,000 men with fertility problems has revealed a correlation between the number of different defects in a man's semen and the likelihood that the man has other health problems. The study, conducted by investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine, also links poor semen quality to a higher chance of having various specific health conditions, such as hypertension, and more generally to skin and endocrine disorders. The findings, to be published online Dec. 10 in Fertility and Sterility, may spur more-comprehensive approaches to treating ...

Ultrafast complex molecular simulations by 'cutting up molecules'

Ultrafast complex molecular simulations by cutting up molecules
2014-12-05
Nagoya, Japan - Professor Stephan Irle and Yoshio Nishimoto at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM) of Nagoya University and Dr. Dmitri Fedorov of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST, Tsukuba) have developed a novel ultrafast quantum chemical method enabling rapid simulations of molecules containing more than a million atoms without detrimental loss in accuracy. This method consists of a combination of the Fragment Molecular Orbital (FMO) approach and the Density-Functional Tight-Binding (DFTB) method, called FMO-DFTB ...

Give flawed payments database time to improve

2014-12-05
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- A "Viewpoint" published in JAMA urges readers to be patient with the new federal Open Payments Program database. The site, designed to report drug and device industry payments to physicians, debuted substantially incomplete, the authors wrote, but it is too important to dismiss before its shortcomings are addressed. "Viewed in the abstract, the value inherent in the transparency offered by the OPP database is beyond dispute," wrote Dr. Eli Y. Adashi, former dean of medicine and biological sciences at Brown University, and Sachin ...

A first-of-its-kind discovery with an X-ray laser

A first-of-its-kind discovery with an X-ray laser
2014-12-05
A research team led by physicists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has proven a method that makes it possible to find the atomic structure of proteins in action by producing "snapshots" of them with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. What made it possible were the ultra-short X-ray pulses of a Free Electron Laser (XFEL). Physics professor Marius Schmidt and doctoral student Jason Tenboer recently completed the experiment with the XFEL at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) in California. It confirms that the XFEL imaging method, ...

Study shows more patients with ALS have genetic origin than previously thought

2014-12-05
LOS ANGELES (Dec. 4, 2014) - Genetics may play a larger role in causing Lou Gehrig's disease than previously believed, potentially accounting for more than one-third of all cases, according to one of the most comprehensive genetic studies to date of patients who suffer from the condition also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The study, conducted by investigators at Cedars-Sinai and Washington University in St. Louis, also showed that patients with defects in two or more ALS-associated genes experience disease onset about 10 years earlier than patients ...

Loss of a chemical tag on RNA keeps embryonic stem cells in suspended animation

Loss of a chemical tag on RNA keeps embryonic stem cells in suspended animation
2014-12-05
A team of scientists that included researchers from UCLA has discovered a novel mechanism of RNA regulation in embryonic stem cells. The findings are strong evidence that a specific chemical modification, or "tag," on RNA plays a key role in determining the ability of embryonic stem cells to adopt different cellular identities. The team also included scientists from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Stanford University. Published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the research reveals that depleting or knocking out a key component of the machinery ...

BGRF to present new data at the second BDSM Congress in Oxford

2014-12-05
Friday, December 5, 2014 - London, UK - The Biogerontology Research Foundation (BGRF), a UK-based charity founded to support ageing research and address the challenges of a rapidly ageing population, will present new economic longevity research at the second Big Data Science in Medicine congress in Oxford on December 8. The research, "Longevity expectations in the pension fund, insurance, and employee benefits industry", was recently published in the open-access journal Psychology Research and Behavior Management, and details an extensive survey of International Employee ...

The intestinal immune system controls the body weight

2014-12-05
A group of UCL researchers (Louvain Drug Research Institute) identified an unsuspected mechanism impacting the development of obesity and diabetes type 2 after following a diet with a high dose of fat nutrition. The team of Professor Patrice D. Cani - in direct collaboration with two French teams, a Swedish expert as well as other UCL-researchers (LDRI and Ludwig Institute) - made an important discovery related to the essential role of the intestinal immune system regarding the control of the energy metabolism. Today, the work of Doctor Amandine Everard (in charge of ...

3-D printed heart could reduce heart surgeries in children

2014-12-05
Vienna, Austria - 5 December 2014: New 3D printed heart technology could reduce the number of heart surgeries in children with congenital heart disease, according to Dr Peter Verschueren who spoke on the topic today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2014.1 Dr Verschueren brought 3D printed models of the heart to his lecture including models used to plan real cases in patients. EuroEcho-Imaging is the annual meeting of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), a branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and is held 3-6 December in Vienna, Austria. Dr Verschueren ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists target ‘molecular machine’ in the war against antimicrobial resistance

Extending classical CNOP method for deep-learning atmospheric and oceanic forecasting

Aston University research: Parents should encourage structure and independence around food to support children’s healthy eating

Thunderstorms are a major driver of tree death in tropical forests

Danforth Plant Science Center adds two new faculty members

Robotic eyes mimic human vision for superfast response to extreme lighting

Racial inequities and access to COVID-19 treatment

Residential segregation and lung cancer risk in African American adults

Scientists wipe out aggressive brain cancer tumors by targeting cellular ‘motors’

Capturability distinction analysis of continuous and pulsed guidance laws

CHEST expands Bridging Specialties Initiative to include NTM disease and bronchiectasis on World Bronchiectasis Day

Exposure to air pollution may cause heart damage

SwRI, UTSA selected by NASA to test electrolyzer technology aboard parabolic flight

Prebiotics might be a factor in preventing or treating issues caused by low brain GABA

Youngest in class at higher risk of mental health problems

American Heart Association announces new volunteer leaders for 2025-26

Gut microbiota analysis can help catch gestational diabetes

FAU’s Paulina DeVito awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Champions for change – Paid time off initiative just made clinical trials participation easier

Fentanyl detection through packaging

Prof. Eran Meshorer elected to EMBO for pioneering work in epigenetics

New 3D glacier visualizations provide insights into a hotter Earth

Creativity across disciplines

Consequences of low Antarctic sea ice

Hear here: How loudness and acoustic cues help us judge where a speaker is facing

A unique method of rare-earth recycling can strengthen the raw material independence of Europe and America

Epilepsy self-management program shows promise to control seizures, improve mood and quality of life

Fat may play an important role in brain metabolism

New study finds no lasting impact of pandemic pet ownership on human well-being

New insights on genetic damage of some chemotherapies could guide future treatments with less harmful side effects

[Press-News.org] Light propagation in solar cells made visible