MIT Invents Paper-Thin Photovoltaic Cells: Production Is Like "Printing Newspapers", Sample Blocks can Be Used at Any Time

Recently, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced the development of paper-thin solar cells that can be attached to any type of surface and converted into a power source. Thinner than a human hair,

these cells can be laminated to various surfaces, such as sails that provide power at sea, tents and tarps deployed in disaster recovery operations, or the wings of drones to extend their flight range.

It is reported that the results of the study were first published in the Journal Small Methods. The paper was presented by Vladimir Bulovi Bulović, Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT, Written by Mayuran Saravanapavanantham, an MIT graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science, and Jeremiah Mwaura, an MIT research scientist . The

scientists used e-printable ink, using a technique similar to printing designs on T-shirts. Because these thin solar cells are difficult to handle and easy to tear, scientists looked for a lightweight, flexible and elastic material that could adhere to these solar cells. The fabric they chose was Dinima Composite, a material known for its incredible strength. After printing

the electrodes on a flat plastic sheet, they glued the plastic sheet to the Dinima. Finally, they peeled off the fabric with the electrodes, leaving a clean sheet of plastic.

"While it may seem simpler to print the solar cell directly on the fabric, this will limit the choice of possible fabrics or other receiving surfaces to only be chemically and thermally compatible with all the processing steps required to manufacture the device," Saravanapavanantham told MIT News. "Our approach separates the manufacture of solar cells from their final integration."

According to Fast Company, although these cells only produce half the energy per unit area compared to traditional silicon panels, they can produce 18 times their own electricity per kilogram.

During the test, the solar cell produced about 730 watts of energy per kilogram when it was independent, and about 370 watts per kilogram if it was deployed on Dinima fabric. For reference, it only needs to add about 44 pounds of weight to the roof to generate the same amount of electricity as 8,000 watts of conventional solar installations in Massachusetts homes, the MIT News reported. The

scientists' goal is to make solar energy more accessible and portable for use in places where traditional solar panels are unavailable, rather than replacing them altogether.

"My expectation is that the form of these new cells should make us completely rethink how quickly we can deploy solar cells and how quickly we can make solar cells," Blovich told Fast Company. "In the long run, we think this can be as fast as printing a newspaper." This technology could revolutionize solar power by making it more accessible

as the demand for clean and renewable energy continues to grow.