A team of researchers from Columbia University has developed a technology that could harness the power from the sun faster than how it is harnessed today. They have found a way to harness more power from singlet fission to increase the power that can be stored in solar cells. This discovery will truly help move forward the development of several technologies to finally free the world from fossil fuel technology.
The study was published in the journal Nature Chemistry. The team has decided to provide the details concerning the design of organic molecules that can help generate two excitons for every photon of light. They call it the singlet fission. The excitons prove to be the better alternative because they have been found to live longer than their inorganic counterparts. Their lengthened lifespan leads to the amplification of electricity that is generated from photon which is then absorbed by every solar cell.
"We have developed a new design to the singlet fission materials," said Luis Campos, one of the three principal investigators for the study. He is also an associate professor for chemistry. "Doing this has led to the development of the most efficient and technologically advanced intramolecular singlet fission materials. This development will truly open doors for further improvement of the design and technology of more efficient solar cells."
"All the modern solar panels used today operate the same way. For every photon light comes one exciton is generated," Campos explained. All excitons can be converted to electrical current. However, the study suggests that there are some molecules that can help two excitons from being generated from a single photon. This process is then referred to as the singlet fission. This type of solar energy can be the basis for the technology that will power next-generation devices. Perhaps the only struggle with this is the fact the molecules needed to make two excitons live for short periods making it a challenge to harvest them to use the technology."
The team comes with a design strategy that could prove helpful to some other branches of science studies. There have been unimaginable applications and the influx is making it difficult to deal with at the moment. If solar energy can be formed through these advancements in technology, the world, and its industries could truly benefit from this technology.
