Eco Factor: Tin-oxide nanomaterials shaped like coral for more efficiency.

In an effort to enhance the efficiency of solar panels Chinese researchers have proposed unique coral-shaped nanomaterials that can be made from porous materials such as tin oxide. However, changing the structure and morphology of the materials is difficult using current preparation methods.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, have developed tin oxide nanomaterials shaped like corals, via a “swallowing growth mechanism”, which increases the surface area of cells thereby increasing the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells compared with spherical shaped nanoparticles.

Via: RSC496764