"Solar ink" printed on paper to generate electricity

"Solar ink" printing paper battery, carrying light

Science Network (kexue.com) Beijing time July 27 news, the United States MIT research team recently overthrew people's idea of ​​the battery, they will make solar cells "ink" form, as long as printed in general On paper, electricity can be generated immediately. MIT pointed out that this technology is cheap and simple, can be printed via a printer, "it is easier than washing photos."

Traditional solar panel manufacturing process is to expose the substrate to corrosive liquid and high temperature, but the new “solar ink” only needs to use steam, and the temperature below 120 degrees Celsius can be directly transferred to paper, fabric, plastic, etc. Material. Karen Gleason, associate dean of the MIT Institute of Engineering, said that paper is 1,000 times cheaper than glass substrates in the past. And more applicable.

Experiments have shown that paper batteries made of “solar ink” have high durability and can be repeatedly folded at will. The power generation performance is basically not lost. In addition, lightweight paper batteries are easier to carry, can be folded into pockets, and then used in the sun to generate electricity. The solar battery conversion rate currently being researched is less than 2%, and it can only be supplied to electronic alarm clocks and other low-power supplies. In the next two years, researchers are expected to increase their conversion rate to 8%, which is low for mobile phones and ipads. Power-consuming electronic devices will be available.