Making Super Solar Cells: A New Block for Ultra-Efficient Power

Scientists are always looking for ways to make solar cells better, especially for buildings. Current ultra-narrow bandgap solar cells have issues like high energy levels and poor performance. One team has come up with a new idea: use benzothiazole-fused cyanoindone (BTC) as a key part of the solar cell. BTC has strong powers to pull electrons, making it great for this job. This new solar cell, called BTC-2, can absorb light up to 1000 nanometers. It also has deep energy levels that help it work better. BTC-2 has a special way of packing its molecules, which helps it use light more efficiently. This packing lets the solar cell hold onto the energy it gets from light for over 1. 1 nanoseconds. All these great features help BTC-2 reach a high efficiency of 17. 17% in a simple solar cell setup. It also sets a new record for light use efficiency at 4. 88% in semi-transparent systems.

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