Microfiber solar cells used to make energy-producing clothing

All of us know that the latest fad in portable and usable technology research is gadget powered clothes. Although many concepts have come up in this field, none of them have turned into reality. But this scenario may soon change thanks to Harry Atwater and his team at the California Institute of technology in Pasadena. The Caltech team has designed a flexible solar cell made up of a number of micrometre-wide wires encased in a clear polymer. The result is a cell which needs only 1% of the expensive silicon required in a conventional solar cell. This solar fabric is produced by growing wires of micrometer width on a silicon base. While growing these wires are exposed to different kinds of chemicals to produce concentric junctions between the semiconductors which convert light into electricity. These wires are then covered in a clear silicone polymer called polydimethylsiloxane. Once this coating is set, the wires are cut off from the base which can be reused to make up to 30 more cells. As a result of this, the cells are cheaper compared to conventional solar cells. The lists of advantages of using this technology don’t end just here. These cells are only 5% in size compared to conventional solar cells and reflect only half the amount of energy compared to traditional cells.

This technology offers a clean yet green solution to reduce our energy requirements. Though not many of such concepts are actually commercialized but let us hope this one is.
[gizmodo]
[newscientist]