Over the years, solar cells have evolved as a great way to harness sun’s energy. But, studies have shown that even the most efficient solar cells lose a lot of energy in the form of wasted heat. When photons, the particles of light, enter solar cells, they create a quasiparticle known as an exciton, which is responsible for the heat energy that current goes waste. Now researchers at the University of Wyoming and Colorado State have found a way to reducing the heat loss by converting the electron-like particles that photons emit into electricity.
The team coupled light-absorbing lead sulfide particles with electrodes made from titanium dioxide and discovered that the current produced in this system contained excitons. These several excitons from a single photon were then collected before the particles started to break down again into their constituent parts. Similarly, excitons could be trapped in case of solar cells too, improving the efficiency of solar cells significantly.
Via: io9