Materials developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, now make it possible to produce photovoltaic cells on paper or fabric, almost as easily as printing a document. The solar cell is formed from special inks that are deposited on the paper, using “gentle” conditions that represent a major departure from current systems, which usually require exposing the substrates to potentially damaging conditions, such as liquids or high temperatures. The new process uses vapors, not liquids, and temperatures less than 120 degrees Celsius, allowing substrates of untreated paper, cloth or plastic to be used. The resulting solar cells are resilient, and can be folded and unfolded hundreds of times with no loss of performance. Moreover, the low weight of the paper or plastic substrate compared to conventional glass or other materials, means the solar cells could be especially useful in remote developing world locations where weight makes a big difference in how many cells could be delivered in a given load. These paper solar cells could be made into window shades or wallpaper, or coated with standard lamination materials for use outdoors. The paper itself costs one-thousandth as much as glass for a given area, making it possible to drastically reduce the cost of solar installations. The team’s findings were published in the journal Advanced Materials.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/printable-solar-cells-0711.html