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The fluorescent future of solar cells

By Guest PostMay 13, 2013Scienceabsorb light, andre d taylor, cell layer, electrical power, fluorescent future, fluorescent organic dye, fret, higher efficiency photovoltaics, jing shun huang, matthew y sfeir, mechanical flexibility, nilay hazari, polymer solar cells, power conversion efficiency, scientists at yale, solar cells, tenghooi goh, xiaokai li

For some solar cells, the future may be fluorescent.

Scientists at Yale have improved the ability of a promising type of solar cell to absorb light and convert it into electrical power by adding a fluorescent organic dye to the cell layer. This squaraine dye boosts light absorption and recycles electrons, improving the conversion of light into energy. The results suggest a new route for the development of lower-cost, higher-efficiency photovoltaics, the scientists said.

“People can apply our approach in designing advanced solar cells with higher efficiencies,” said André D. Taylor, the assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at Yale who led the research, published May 5 online in the journal Nature Photonics. (more…)

MSU Chemists Become The First To Support an 84-Year-Old Theory

By Guest PostDecember 23, 2011Scienceabsorption of light, astronomers, chemical reaction pathways, chemical reactions, chromium, cobalt, conservation of angular momentum, distant planets, dong guo, energy, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, fret, fundamental property, hypothesis, jim mccusker, michigan state university, molecules, Nature, principle, properties, satellites, skaters, spin, troy knight

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The same principle that causes figure skaters to spin faster as they draw their arms into their bodies has now been used by Michigan State University researchers to understand how molecules move energy around following the absorption of light.

Conservation of angular momentum is a fundamental property of nature, one that astronomers use to detect the presence of satellites circling distant planets. In 1927, it was proposed that this principle should apply to chemical reactions, but a clear demonstration has never been achieved. (more…)

How Pathogens Hijack Host Plants

By Guest PostNovember 27, 20101 commentSciencearabidopsis, bacteria, cell membrane, cells, diabetes, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, frank white, fret, fungi, global crop, infestation, li-qing chen, mustard, mutation, novel transporters, organism, pathogen infection, pathogenic bacteria, pathogens, plant nutrients, pore proteins, protein genes, sensor-based technology, sugar efflux, sugar-pumping mechanism, sweets

Palo Alto, CA — Infestation by bacteria and other pathogens result in global crop losses of over $500 billion annually. A research team led by the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology developed a novel trick for identifying how pathogens hijack plant nutrients to take over the organism. They discovered a novel family of pores that transport sugar out of the plant. Bacteria and fungi hijack the pores to access the plant sugar for food. The first goal of any pathogen is to access the host’s food supply to allow them to reproduce in large numbers. This is the first time scientists have a direct handle on controlling the food supply to pathogens and thus a new means to prevent a wide range of crop diseases and losses. (more…)

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The fluorescent future of solar cells

MSU Chemists Become The First To Support an 84-Year-Old Theory

How Pathogens Hijack Host Plants