Nanotechnology microscope to help develop cheap plastic solar cells

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has recently installed one of the world’s most powerful nanotechnology microscopes.

The only one if its kind in Australia, the Zeiss Orion NanoFab enables researchers to examine natural or manmade structures in incredible detail and will create new insights wherever it is applied - in QUT’s case, researchers will use it to develop cheap plastic solar cells to charge mobile phones and other electronic devices.

By increasing the microscope beam current, researchers are able to etch away material to create patterns or structures with features of only a few nanometres. The tool can write lines 100,000 times finer than the text on a printed page - for example, it could etch War and Peace on the head of a pin 200 times over.

QUT nanotechnology expert Professor Nunzio Motta said the new microscope complements QUT’s existing tunnelling microscope, the only one of its kind in Queensland. He said the super microscopes would be used to create new nanostructures which could be used in electronic devices, solar cells, gas sensors and for a range of other uses.

“In the future, plastic solar cells could generate enough energy not only to recharge the batteries of laptops and mobiles, but even to obtain power from canopies on parking areas which could be fed back into grids,” he said.

“They could even be developed as a clear film on glass windows to produce power.”

But at the moment researchers are trying to make plastic solar cells more efficient and able to be commercialised, said Professor Motta. He is currently using the tunnelling microscope to improve the cells by mixing them with graphene, an atomic-scale honeycomb lattice made of carbon atoms. He has found that adding gold nanoparticles traps light and improves efficiency.

“While it’s difficult to put a timeframe on the development of efficient plastic solar cells, a five- to 10-year goal is probably not unrealistic,” he said.

Professor Motta said his research team also hoped to create a new class of solar-powered nanosensors capable of detecting pollution and monitoring the environment in remote areas. He said nanoscale science is critical to the world’s future economy, as advances would transform a range of scientific and engineering disciplines.

QUT is organising NanoS-E3, the International Workshop and School on Nanotechnology, at Airlie Beach from 15-20 September. The initiative, in partnership with the Italian and Australian governments, will build on existing nanotechnology networks and foster new collaborations. In 2013, the workshop will also welcome scientists from France, Germany, Japan, Canada and the USA.