As our ability to manipulate materials and structures on the molecular and atomic levels is poised to enable a new era that affects nearly every industry, the development of innovative devices that generate clean and renewable types ofrnenergy is clearly an area that offers significant potential for game-changing improvements.rnNanotechnology is playing an important role in the development of advanced concepts in photovoltaics (PV) technology, where the goal is to reduce cost dramatically. Wafer and thin-film solar cells based on materials such as crystalline silicon, amorphous-nanocrys-talline silicon, and copper-gallium-indium-disulfide (CIGS) can benefit from nanotechnology's materials engineering techniques. Researchers are working to improve the performance of organic solar cells made from conducting polymers with the use of nanoengi-neered materials such as nanorods, nanotubes and quantum dots.
展开▼
