Development guarantees less expensive solar cell glass production

• Indian researchers have actually developed a hybrid manufacturing method incorporating steel mesh and a metal-oxide layer over a glass substratum which they say lowers production cost by 80% contrasted to the tin-doped, indium oxide-based innovation presently in use.

Scientists from the government-run Facility for Nano and also Soft Matter Sciences (Cens) Bengaluru have actually created an inexpensive approach of producing the clear performing glass (TCG) made use of for solar cells.

The scientists at the institute, part of the federal government Department of Scientific research & Innovation, assert their manufacturing technique is 80% less costly than the tin-doped, indium oxide (ITO) based technology presently being used. The glass likewise has the prospective to reduce the manufacturing expense of tools such as clever windows as well as touch screens.

Tin-doped indium oxide coatings are costly because of the sluggish deposition price involved in adding movies just a few hundred nanometers deep.

The glass produced by the Bengaluru group includes a steel mesh on a glass substratum with slim over-layers of metal oxides. The resulting crossbreed electrode provides outstanding conductive residential property thanks to the mesh-- with sheet resistance of regarding 5 ohms/square-- plus an oxide surface finish to satisfy industrial ITO-based demands.

Assembly line

The Bengaluru group led by GU Kulkarni and commercial partner Hind High Vacuum cleaner have actually developed a semi-automated, low-cost glass manufacturing plant funded by the Division of Science & Innovation at the Cens university.

Ashutosh K Singh, a scientist working on the task, said: "We are making numerous prototypes such as clear heaters, clear electro-magnetic disturbance shields and also smart windows based upon TCG, to showcase its possible applications. Further, these electrodes have actually been sent for field tests in numerous industries as well as R&D laboratories."

Samples of the low-cost glass gadgets are additionally readily available for on site testing as well as validation.

The Cens work has actually been released in the journal Products Chemistry and also Physics.