INFRARED PLASTIC

SOLAR CELL

By:- abhishek singh suraj

Sem 8 reg no. 19170002
Roll no. 02 eee

Cochin university of Science and

12/10/2021 Technology 1
 Why Use Solar Cells?

Low maintenance, long lasting sources of energy.

Provides cost-effective power supplies for remote people.
Non-polluting sources of electricity.
Convenient and flexible source of small amounts of
power.
Renewable and sustainable power, as a means to reduce
global warming.
In 2002, the global market for photovoltaic panels and
equipment was valued at 3.5 billion dollars.

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 INTRODUCTION

The plastic solar cells uses nanotechnology and contains that solar cells
which able to harness the sun's invisible, infrared rays.
The working of this type of solar cells is same as that of conventional
solar cells but these solar cells are of small size and harness all the
rays from sun's radiation.
Because of their small size and light weight, they exhibit unusual and
interesting properties.

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 Plastic solar cell can turn the suns power into electric energy
even on a cloudy day.
Nano particles called quantum dots are combined with
a polymer to make the plastic that can detect energy in
the infrared

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 Construction of Plastic Solar
Cell
The solar cell created is actually a hybrid, comprised of tiny
nanorods dispersed in an organic polymer or plastic.
Nanorods are made of cadmium selenide.
This layer of around 200 nanometers thickness is sandwiched
between electrodes.
The electrodes are coated with aluminum.

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 It has semiconductor nano rods (7 nm by 60nm).
 The heart of a solar cell is a 200-nm- thick film.
 It consists of cadmium selenide (CdSe) nano rods and
blended with P3HT(poly- 3hexylthiophene)
 It can produce 0.7v at present.

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 Working Of Plastic Solar Cell

Nanorods in the plastic solar cell acts like wires when they
absorb light of specific wavelength they generate an electron
and hole vacancy in the rod that moves toward respective
electrodes.
This electron travels the length of rod until it is collected by
aluminium electrode.
The hole is transferred to the plastic which is known as a hole
carrier and conveyed to the electrode creating current.

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• Aluminium coating act as the back electrode.
• When nanorods absorb light they generate an electron
and an hole.
• Electron is collected by aluminium electrode
• The hole is transferred to the plastic and conveyed the electrode
creating a current.

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 Improvements

Some of the obvious improvements include better light collection

and concentration, which already are employed in commercial solar
cells.
Significant improvements can be made in the plastic, nanorods mix,
too, ideally packing the nanorods closer together, perpendicular to
the electrodes, using minimal polymer, or even none-the nanorods
would transfer their electrons more directly to the electrode.

Nanorods can be made to absorb different colors to span the

spectrum of sunlight.

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 Comparison

PV CELLS NANO- SOLAR CELLS

Constructed using Nano-
Made of some special technology
material called
semiconductors. Cost is less because less
Expensive because of material is used
manufacturing process Compact and require less
space, Efficiency is
Requires large space, more
Efficiency is less Nano- solar cell that can
turn the suns power into
It won’t work under cloudy electricity energy even on a
conditioned cloudy days
It contains the 2nd
It can’t harness the sun’s generation solar cell that
invisible infrared rays can harness the sun’s
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 Applications

Development of a super thin disposable solar panel poster

A hydrogen powered car painted with the film could potentially
convert energy into electricity to continually recharge the car’s
battery.
Any chip coated in the material could power cell phone or other
wireless devices.

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 Advantages

They are considered to be 30% more efficient when compared

to conventional solar cells.
Traditional solar cells are bulky panels. This is very compact.
Flexible, roller processed solar cells have the potential to turn
the sun’s power into a clean, green, consistent source of
energy.

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 Disadvantages

The biggest problem with this is cost effectiveness. But that

could change with new material. But chemists have found a
way to make cheap plastic solar cells flexible enough to paint
onto any surface and potentially able to provide electricity
for wearable electronics or other low power devices.

Relatively shorter life span when continuously exposed to

sunlight.

Could possibly require higher maintenance and constant

monitoring.
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 Conclusions

Plastic solar cells help in exploiting the infrared radiation.

More effective when compared to conventional solar cells.
They can even work on cloudy days.
Though at present cost is a major drawback, it can be solved
in the near future.

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 Thank
You

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