Wednesday, March 12, 2014: Yes, researchers at the Vienna University of Technology have successfully made a diode made of tungsten diselenide. The scientists wanted something thin such as the new material graphene, which consists of only one atomic layer of carbon atoms. The new found material having one or very few atomic layers is capable of manufacturing the ultrathin flexible solar cells. It also helps in making flexible displays that are becoming more popular.
The research team at the University was searching for materials, which can be arranged in ultrathin layers and also have better electronic properties than Graphene. They found out that tungsten diselenide consisted of one layer of tungsten atoms, which are connected by selenium atoms above and below the tungsten plane. It can also absorbs light, which can be used to create electrical power.
The solar cells in use today are mostly made using silicon and are therefore very heavy and inflexible. According to Professor Thomas Mueller, who is a team member in this research, the electronic states in graphene are not very practical for creating photo voltaics. In tungsten diselenide, the layer is so thin that 95 per cent of the light passes through it. And a tenth of the remaining five per cent, is absorbed by the material. It is then converted into electrical power. Thus, the internal efficiency is very high. The team believes that the applications lie in solar cell layers on glass facades, which let part of the light into the building while at the same time creating electricity.
