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Are Butterfly Wings Natural Solar Collectors?

02/09/2009 3:05 PM

Any helpful input on this topic would be appreciated.

I found this single comment thread on the World Community Grid and would like to know more about it.

"Natural Solar Collectors in Butterfly Wings

<Source: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/forums/wcg/viewthread?thread=24463 >

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The discovery that butterfly wings have scales that act as tiny solar collectors has led scientists in China and Japan to design a more efficient solar cell that could be used for powering homes, businesses, and other applications in the future.In the study, Di Zhang and colleagues note that scientists are searching for new materials to improve light-harvesting in so-called dye-sensitized solar cells, also known as Grätzel cells for inventor Michael Grätzel. These cells have the highest light-conversion efficiencies among all solar cells — as high as 10 percent.

The researchers turned to the microscopic solar scales on butterfly wings in their search for improvements. Using natural butterfly wings as a mold or template, they made copies of the solar collectors and transferred those light-harvesting structures to Grätzel cells. Laboratory tests showed that the butterfly wing solar collector absorbed light more efficiently than conventional dye-sensitized cells. The fabrication process is simpler and faster than other methods, and could be used to manufacture other commercially valuable devices, the researchers say. "

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Guru
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#1

Re: Are Butterfly Wings Natural Solar Collectors?

02/09/2009 10:10 PM

google is your friend

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/cm702458p

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Power-User

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#3
In reply to #1

Re: Are Butterfly Wings Natural Solar Collectors?

02/10/2009 10:28 AM

bhankiii

That's a good link!

( http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/cm702458p )

Thanx

Lots of associated info appended there, too.

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Active Contributor

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#2

Re: Are Butterfly Wings Natural Solar Collectors?

02/09/2009 10:52 PM

There is a gentleman named Freddy in Bhimtal, Uttarakhand State, India that has done TREMENDOUS research in butterflies in the himalayan region and is an authority on the subject.

http://greenvalleybhimtal.com/fredy.htm

When I visited him few months ago, we had a brief discussion on this subject, and he has supported this argument based on his research over a long time.

Amit.

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Guru
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#4

Re: Are Butterfly Wings Natural Solar Collectors?

02/10/2009 3:02 PM

when they say 10% efficient do they mean among only dyed solar cells? Because the old standard type can be had in 30%+ area of efficiency.

Makes me wonder about the accuracy of the original posters link.

Any day now I expect to hear that new solars cells using nano particles for antennas and wide band antenna design have put this new type of solar cell over the 50% efficient mark. Until the advent of nano particles it was not possible to make antennas small enough for the frequencies required for wide band antenna based solar cells.

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Power-User

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#5

Re: Are Butterfly Wings Natural Solar Collectors?

02/10/2009 3:21 PM

Nope,

I think that 10% is accurate - it's the FACT of bio-generated electricity that wows the imagination - efficiency is bound to come as research continues.

My money is on paint based photovoltaics just now. The is sooo much electrical energy to be farmed from the infrared band if that can be perfected. These are exciting times.

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#6

Re: Are Butterfly Wings Natural Solar Collectors?

02/10/2009 3:43 PM

"the highest light-conversion efficiencies among all solar cells — as high as 10 percent"

That phrase alone should alert you that the writer of the article has no knowledge whatever of the subject. What is true is that resonators can be helpful when the intrinsic absorption is low - and the structure of butterfly wings is indeed a candidate.

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