Precise measurement of phenomenon advances solar cell understanding
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 16:28
in Physics & Chemistry
"One type of solar cell design starts with a chain of chromophores strung between two electrodes," explained Dewey Holten, Ph.D., professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences. "This chain absorbs the light energy and directs that energy towards one electrode, where it is deposited as an electron. The molecule which lost the electron now has a positive charge left behind called a hole. The hole migrates down the chain towards the opposite electrode. The electron and the hole recombine in the external circuit, creating the electrical current to do work."