March 24, 2005, Lowell, MA, and Troy, NY--Konarka Technologies and Evident Technologies have announced a collaborative research effort to increase the sensitivity of plastic solar cells to a wider range of the light spectrum.
Evident's proprietary quantum dots which are high performance semiconductor nanocrystals active throughout the visible spectrum and into the near-infrared, are being combined with Konarka's conductive polymers to create ultra high performance solar cells to exceed the capabilities of today's best silicon-based technologies. The project is in keeping with both companies' stated missions to offer high-efficiency, low-cost materials in new form factors. The quantum dot plastic solar cells could be used for demanding energy, communications and military applications, such as battlefield or off-grid power generation.
"As part of our continuing efforts to push photovoltaic science forward, we've learned how to get sensitivity outside the visible light spectrum, including the infrared, with our polymers," said Russell Gaudiana, Ph.D., vice president of research and development, Konarka. "This collaboration is focused on determining the best materials to capture more light and how to manufacture them outside the lab environment."
The program with Evident complements Konarka's ongoing efforts to develop different coat-able and printable chemistries for its light-activated "power plastic" solar cells. Each chemistry can be tuned to a specific purpose, enabling customers to choose the performance that best suits the power requirements of their devices, systems or structures.