MADISON - As the installation of photovoltaic solar cells
continues to accelerate, scientists are looking for inexpensive materials
beyond the traditional silicon that can efficiently convert sunlight into
electricity.
Theoretically, iron pyrite - a cheap compound that makes a
common mineral known as fool's gold - could do the job, but when it works at
all, the conversion efficiency remains frustratingly low. Now, a University of
Wisconsin-Madison research team explains why that is, in a discovery that
suggests how improvements in this promising material could lead to inexpensive
yet efficient solar cells.