Graphene for the production of renewable energy could replace silicon in the realization of photovoltaic panels
Graphene. It will be the material of the future? So thin as to be considered two-dimensional, stronger than steel, applicable in photovoltaics and beyond. Premises that gives hope for a glorious future for this material for which Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for physics. And after the Nobel Prize in 2010, who knows what interesting news in store for us in 2011 about the graphene.
You may have heard of graphite, the one that lies at the center of the pencils to speak. Well, this material is named more or less from there. The two scientists in fact, pasting a block of graphite to a normal tape, gave birth to the world's thinnest sheet, often because of an atom (carbon). The graphite sheet.
The applications of graphene in the sustainability arena are really interesting. In the photovoltaic sector in fact, graphene could replace silicon, currently used for photovoltaic cells.
And 'strong, flexible and is a good conductor. Many could be its applications in science, electronics and technology. At the laboratories of Engineering and Technology of Materials of ENEA, is studying how to use it in place of platinum in fuel cells, to reduce costs and ensure high levels of performance.
Interesting innovations for the solar panels that can take advantage of the transparency of graphene and its properties of the conductor, as studied by experts from the University of Southern California.
In addition to the applications, "sustainable", we note that with graphene can be achieved bactericidal surfaces, filters and chemical sensors and appliances that accelerate genetic screening.
Before the discovery of Geim and Novoselov, it is not believed that such a material so thin and could be stable at room temperature. The two scientists have left everyone speechless, revealing a material, up to now produced in sheets of 70 cm, if that was the size of a hammock could hold a cat ... incredible if we think that is produced in sheets as thin as carbon atoms!
02/02/2011
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Translated via software
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Source:
Italian version of ReteIngegneri.it