Storing Electric Energy

Nanotechnology

Ahmed Al jamaan

Oregon State University

Instructor

Date of Submission

Nanotechnology

This paper reports a product “perovskite solar cell with rainbow quantum dot technology.” This particular is designed to creating an efficient rainbow solar cell by increasing the harvesting of light from a broader variety of spectra. The grand challenge that will be addressed here is the one of harvesting light from a broader variety of spectra. This challenge is important because it provides the objective and goal that is strived to be accomplished by the product that is designed developed by our company. The nanotechnology applications that the company has designed to address this challenge are perovskite thin film technology, solar cells, and quantum dots. The company is dedicated to developing a new type of solar cell using perovskite thin film technology, supplemented with varying sizes of quantum dots.

Current Applications that Related to Nanotechnology Applications

There are current applications that relate to our nanotechnology applications out of which the company tries to improvise and make produce an efficient application. One of these current applications is the battery which relates to the solar cells. The battery provides the same results as the solar cells, that is supplying direct current. However, there are some differences such as the voltage supplied by the cells alternate with any change in resistance. Also, the solar cells consist of a solid structure that converts the solar radiation into electrical energy whereas the battery converts chemical energy into electric energy. The perovskite material relates to the current silicon cells (made of silicon material). Both the silicon cells and the perovskite perform the same function of storing electric current (Cornell, 2016).

Comparing the Attributes of the Current and the Nanotechnology Applications

In comparison, the nanotechnology applications seem superior that the current applications. Although both the current and the nanotechnology appear to perform the same functions as each other, the nanotechnology applications are more efficient and superior than the current. Taking, for example, the current application silicon solar cells compared with thefuture application: perovskite rainbow solar cells enhanced with quantum dots, the following are the statistics. The silicon solar cells have an efficiency rating of between 15 and 20 percent whereas the future perovskite rainbow solar cells are anticipated to have an efficiency rating of more than 30 percent. The silicon solar cells have the ability of only absorbing energy in the infrared area of the light spectrum whereas the perovskite can absorb light in a wider range of the spectrum (Liao et al., 2017).

Another attribute is based on the cost of the current and the future nanotechnology. The of producing the future nanotechnology applications is anticipated to be much lower than the current cost of producing current applications. This will be economical and affordable and therefore accessible to more individuals that the current applications. Similarly, the weight of the future nanotechnology applications is anticipated to be lower than the current one. This is because, the future nanotechnology applications will be made of lightweight materials that are efficient even it comes to their transportation(Liao et al., 2017). Therefore, considering the above attributes, it is evident that the future nanotechnology applications will be superior to the current applications in almost all aspects. Nanotechnology surpasses the current technology starting from the cost of production, weight and the efficiencyand it is indeed a solution to harvesting light from a broader variety of spectra.

Major Limitations to Overcome for Nanotechnology to be Developed

Despite the enormous expectations of the nanotechnology, some limitations ought to be overcome to ensure that the nanotechnology applications are developed. One of the major limitations is the stability problem. The nanotechnology applications are said to lack stability especially when they come to contact with moisture. Another limitation is the lifespan of the nanotechnology applications. The nanotechnology utilizes cheaper scalable solar cells, and it is claimed that electrode materials cheaper than gold have a short lifespan. The nanotechnology applications are also expected to be encapsulated in acrylic or glass for protection which in reality will add to both the cost and weight of the applications. There is also a problem with scaling up cells for the nanotechnology applications with reports indicatinghigh-efficiency ratings have been achieved viacells too small to be used in an actual solar panel. Toxicity is another limitation (Valizadeh et al., 2012).

Characterization of Materials for Nanotechnology Applications

Characterizations of materials will be done at the point where the company gets materials to be used for manufacturing the nanomaterials. Characterization will also be performed on the final product after themanufacturing process has taken place. After getting the materials to be used, they will be tested with the aim of ensuring their purity and high performance by use of surface chemistry. The materials will then be tested based on their sizes and shape. Primarily, the products for nanotechnology applications is heavily reliant onhaving the right sizes for our quantum dots and the correct circulation of those sizes. The materials will also be tested based on absorption rate. The materials need to be emitting in the right wavelength after absorbing photons, and once the solar cell is built, the unit needs to be characterized for light absorbance and reflectance from particles(Liao et al., 2017). The characterization materials to be used are Scanning Tunneling Electron Microscope for measuring conducting and distribution of particle and Atomic Force Microscopy for detecting nanoparticles.