Nanotech solutions to solar energy and light

Imperial College London, led by Professor Donal Bradley, received the Royal Society's annual £250,000 Brian Mercer Award for developing two production processes for plastic electronics.

Plastic electronics uses novel organic, carbon-based semiconductors, instead of the traditional silicon, gallium arsenide and related inorganic materials.

These new organic semiconductors combine solubility, allowing solution coating and printing to be used in the fabrication of devices, and properties, such as flexibility and toughness, with the key functional characteristics of traditional semiconductors.

The team believes that the development of plastic electronics can support the widespread adoption of affordable, environmentally-friendly energy generation and lighting.

They are focusing on creating the next generation of solar cells and 'solid-state' light sources, motivated by the high efficiency and low-cost promise of this technology.

Plastic solar cells have the potential to make affordable photovoltaic energy a reality, while solid-state lighting, in which the traditional light bulb and fluorescent tube are replaced by light emitting diodes, offers the prospect of major savings in carbon emissions.

Source: www.scenta.co.uk