This story is from June 26, 2019

BU working to produce solar cells using graphene

A team of researchers from the department of physics at the Bharathiar University has been working to produce solar cells using graphene, a form of carbon. They expect this to be a cost effective and simpler method of producing efficient solar cells. The team has devised a method to make graphene absorb more light, which would produce current in it. They have applied for patent for this method.
BU working to produce solar cells using graphene
COIMBATORE: A team of researchers from the department of physics at the Bharathiar University has been working to produce solar cells using graphene, a form of carbon. They expect this to be a cost effective and simpler method of producing efficient solar cells. The team has devised a method to make graphene absorb more light, which would produce current in it. They have applied for patent for this method.
Currently, solar cells are made using silicon, which is a complicated procedure and needs an industrial set-up, said D Nataraj, professor of physics at the university, who heads the research team.
Silicon needs to be grown, cut and polished, which is an expensive process, he added.
Nataraj said the process they have devised involves decomposing citric acid, a chemical which is available easily. On decomposing, it converts into small patches of graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of carbon.
As graphene is thinner than silicon, the efficiency of the cell would also be higher, he said.
People at the department have been doing the research for the past five years, said Nataraj. The department has specialized equipment worth around Rs5crore for the research, purchased using funds from UGC and Department of Science and Technology (DST) he added. Several industries have already expressed interest in adopting this technology, said officials of the university’s intellectual property rights cell.
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