Tube-shaped solar cells could be weaved into clothing
Thursday, March 1, 2012 - 12:33
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Titania semiconducting nanorods grown on the surface of carbon fibers look more like bristles on a tiny hairbrush than a solar cell, but the novel configuration could have several advantages over conventional flat solar cells. For instance, the flexible tube-shaped cells can capture light from all directions and even have the potential to be weaved into clothing and paper for novel applications. But at the current stage of development, researchers are trying to find a simple, low-cost method for fabricating high-quality tube-shaped solar cells.