Energy

Current

Creating back-contacted solar cells

By combining the benefits of back-contacted solar cells with perovskite materials, researchers have achieved a much sought after pathway to more efficient photovoltaic devices.

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High performance microfluidics increase solar panel efficiency

There is now a global drive towards making solar energy more affordable. However current technologies have defects – for every 10°C increase in operating temperature, most solar cells become around 5% less efficient. This project aims to tackle these problems.

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Better batteries possible with alternative electrodes

The lithium-ion batteries currently used in every-day devices such as phones and laptops have limited charge hold and an operation time which decreases over the life of the battery. This project looks at alternative electrode materials to achieve longer lasting, more durable batteries.

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Artificial leaves enhance light-to-chemical energy conversion

The chemical industry relies heavily on fossil fuel derived energy for carrying out chemical processes. A more sustainable and desirable prospect is to harvest sunlight for doing chemistry and transform this industry into a solar chemical manufacturing industry.

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ALD could help prolongue battery life and improve reliability

Improving the charge and life-span of batteries in phones, laptops and household technologies has the potential to improve not only efficiency and flexibility of these technologies, but also minimise the amount of toxic landfill created as a result of disused batteries.

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Metal nanoparticles lead the way towards solar water decontamination

It has long been known that solar energy can be used to create electricity for heating and lighting. However, it can be also used to drive important chemical transformations such as the creation of low-cost water purification for developing countries.

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Microflow batteries the future for electric cars

As electric cars become more prevalent on our roads, research is continually undertaken to make their technologies, smaller, faster and more efficient. Eden BDM has taken residency at MCN to accomplish a microflow battery to enable the recovered energy of the moving car to recharge the battery.

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Harvesting sunlight to fuel the modern world

Clean energies are vital for the future prosperity of our planet and harvesting energy from light sources, including sunlight, could provide a significant percentage of the world’s energy demands over the coming century.

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Archive

Self-assembling gold nanorods show huge potential

Nanostructures fabricated with metal nanoparticles hold great promise for applications in biosensing, optical analysis, computing and solar energy conversion. One approach looks at programming the spontaneous self-assembly of nanoparticles into the desired architecture.

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Vertical arrays of gold nanorods achieved

Fabrication of novel self-assembling metallic nanostructures shows great potential for applications in biosensing, optical analysis, computing and solar energy conversion.

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