Hybrid Organic Solar Cells Now More Efficient

Success greets the research team of National Research Council’s National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) and the University of Alberta. The plastic solar cells have now an operating life of 8 months instead of mere hours. And they are low-cost, environmentally efficient, unsealed plastic dollar cells – a green energy source. Developing economically viable plastic solar panels and to produce them in large scale has been the long time goal for the scientists as the cost of ultra high-purity silicon used in the traditionally manufactured solar cells is quite prohibitive. These are the solar cells of future – to be available to common man easily. A University of Alberta-NINT team has been focusing on this for quite some time.

Prototype solar cell:
A multi-disciplinary team has been successful in developing a prototype solar panel. It was operating at high capacity for about 10 hours. After that, problems developed within which reduced the efficiency of solar cells. They found that electrode’s chemical coating was the root cause of the problem. For past few months, work has been going on to correct this problem.

Role of electrode:
Producing power from solar cells is the key responsibility of electrodes and the research team found that the unstable chemical coating started leaking around the circuitry of the solar cell and reduced production capacity. They developed a new coating which solved this problem.

New polymer coating:
The team led by David Rider, consisting of Michael J. Brett, Jillian Buriak from U of A-NINT has been successful in developing a durable and longer lasting coating of polymer for the electrode which stopped the chemical leaking that reduced the production capacity. This new polymer coated electrode makes the solar cell work at high capacity continuously.

Success story:
At the time David Rider and colleagues presented their research paper in Advanced Functional Materials on June 22, 2010, the solar prototype cell had performed already for 500 hours at high capacity. In the highly competitive field of plastic solar-cell technology, this research by U of A-NINT team is considered to be a great achievement. And the cell continued to work for 8 months altogether before being damaged in transit between laboratories.

Future:
The future looks bright for hybrid organic solar cells. In Rider’s words “Inexpensive, lightweight plastic solar-cell products, like a blanket or sheet that can be rolled up, will change the solar energy industry”.
(alternative.energy.news)

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UNAIR Students Create Environmentally Friendly Plastics

Who said plastic will biodegrade in the soil long? Humaira, a student majoring in Chemistry Faculty of Science and Technology University of Airlangga (Airlangga University), Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, has denied this. Tuesday (20 / 7), 21-year-old woman was announcing the results of his research, eco-friendly plastic that is easily decomposed by soil within a week.

According Humaira, this is done because the plastic has been used often cause environmental pollution due to garbage piling on too long, so prone to flooding. "Plastics are typically pile up and pollute the environment for years could be degraded or decomposed by the soil only within less than a week," said the girl was born in Jombang.

Humaira explains, is a synthetic plastic food packaging materials that have a negative impact on the environment and human health. That comes from the synthesis of materials such as cellulose acetate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl acetate and aluminum foil. While plastics made from these materials are nonbiodegradable or can not be explained naturally by microorganisms in the soil.

Not only that, typically of synthetic plastics material added softener (plasticizer) that is not rigid and not easily fragile. This softener material consisted mostly of groups phthalate compounds (esters derived from phthalic acid). "In fact, the use of DEHA plasticizer such as PCBs and can cause tissue death and is carcinogenic in humans," said Humaira.

Humaira research provides a breakthrough alternative to this time through the development of biodegradable plastics are easily degraded by microorganisms in the soil and renewable resources. The materials used for the manufacture of biodegradable plastics include starches aloe vera, chitosan, with glycerol as a plasticizer.

"Aloe vera contains polysaccharides that can form a layer of plastic film which has antibacterial properties. While chitosan containing proteins to strengthen the mechanical properties or strength of plastics, as well as glycerol as a plasticizer in an environmentally safe to give flexibility or elasticity in the plastic," said Humaira. That is why, from the aloe vera biodegradable plastics has advantages, which are antibacterial and easily degraded by microorganisms in the soil.

Humaira also said plastics from starch and aloe vera-chitosan prepared by chitosan concentration of three percent, four percent, five percent, six percent and seven percent (w / v). Meanwhile, aloe vera and glycerol concentration is fixed which is five percent (w / v) and 10 milliliters.

About the method, Humaira explained, the methods used in the synthesis of plastics from Aloe vera-chitosan, which is inverse phase with the solvent evaporates at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius. "For this characterization, including measurement of thickness of plastic, test the mechanical properties, swelling test, determination of morphology, and test the properties of biodegradable," Humaira explained.

From the research, obtained value attractiveness percentage elongation and modulus of plastic film on the optimal composition of chitosan, starch, aloe vera and five per cent compared to seven percent (w / v), which is 461.538 MPa, respectively, 6.2 percent, and 744.416 MPa. "The percentage of swelling (swelling), the optimum was obtained at the composition of plastic between the starch-chitosan aloe five percent compared to four percent (w / v), with a value of 12.5 percent. In addition, based on Scanning Electron Microscopy results (SEM) produced morphological The flat plastic film and not hollow, "said Humaira. Thus, in a test of biodegradable plastics from Aloe vera-chitosan using EM4 bacteria showed that the degradation of plastic film in just one week.

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The Micron Change The Way We Travel

The carbon footprint that automobiles leave is about to change, and that change is going to happen much sooner than we think. While it is unlikely that the Micron will replace every car on the road, it will present a very interesting alternative to daily travel. This unique design is eye catching and more importantly, totally emissions free. Make no mistake about it, the Micron is the future of the automobile.

While it would be nice to think that the environmental problems the world is facing would wake people up and get them to carpool, most people still insist on driving their own car to work every single day. The need for independence is understandable and appreciated, but if most people are doing nothing more than going to work and going home, why continue to waste gas and hurt the environment?

These are the direct concerns that the Micron addresses. Being electric, the emissions issues are immediately settled and being so compact, the congestion on the road will clear up. Imagine 4 vehicles that can hold up to two people that can fit into a parking space of just one car. The amount of city congestion that would be alleviated is simply staggering to even think about. The days of having the SUV in the garage for nothing more than shopping trips may be soon upon us.

The Micron is still being tested and is currently scheduled to be released in 2012. Oddly enough, that is the same year that the Mayan calendar predicts will be the end of the world. While it is unlikely that the destruction that they have in mind will occur, the world as we know it is definitely changing. Instead of the end of the world, it could truly be a new beginning.

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