Solar Cell

Silicon nanoparticles enhance performance of solar cells

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Placing a film of
silicon nanoparticles onto a silicon solar cell can boost power, reduce
heat and prolong the cell’s life, researchers now report.

“Integrating a high-quality film of silicon nanoparticles 1
nanometer in size directly onto silicon solar cells improves power
performance by 60 percent in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum,”
said Munir Nayfeh, a physicist at the University of Illinois and
corresponding author of a paper accepted for publication in Applied
Physics Letters.