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Abstract:
Specialists at the Institute of Materials Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (IIM -UNAM) developed chemical compounds that will collect energy from the sun with an energy transfer efficiency close to one hundred percent. This phenomenon would allow the design of a new generation of photovoltaic compounds that would achieve to capture light in the spectral range of UV - visible light in a more optimal way, in order to convert it into electricity.

Mexican University develops chemicals to optimize solar cells

Roma, Mexico | Posted on March 16th, 2014

Dr. Ernesto Rivera Garcia, scientist at the IIM -UNAM explained that to achieve that goal, currently a type of chemicals called dendritic are synthesized (they have ramifications as the dendrites of neurons). These compounds may be used in solar cells.

According to the explanation of Dr. Rivera Garcia, dendritic compounds synthesized at UNAM contain two chemical groups called porphyrin and pyrene, which interact with each other. "Several pyrene groups (donor) are excited and transfer all their energy to a single porphyrin group (acceptor), this happens in one of the molecules of the dendritic compounds," said the scientist.

"The fact that several donor groups are excited and transfer energy to an acceptor photoconductor group causes more efficiency in capturing sunlight and generating power," said the university researcher. Rivera García noted that this physical phenomenon is known as "antenna effect " , the same way a conventional antenna picks up a wave and amplifies to send to various devices, molecular pyrene groups receiving sunlight and transferring it to another group called porphyrin.

The university researcher said that in an effort to take advantage of this physical principle in the solar cells, the molecules would be modified for use in these power generation technologies. "For example, we can add some chemical groups such as carbazole or triphenylamine, the structure of these compounds is more efficient for power generation," said Garcia Rivera.

The scientist at the Institute of Materials Research at UNAM added that currently research projects are open, seeking to apply the principle of "antenna effect" on solar cells, but using graphene , one of the most promising materials due, among multiple factors , to its photoconductive properties . (Agencia ID)

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José Gotés

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