GeS “nanoflowers” could blossom in next-gen solar cells

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if (mobile) { var mob_link = "<img src='https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527/http://images.gizmag.com/layout/icons/cellphone.png'/><a id='article_mobile_link' class='small' href='https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527/http://m.gizmag.com/article/24528'>View on mobile site</a>"; $jqr('.sd_top').append(mob_link); } // ]]></script> <a class="vsmall" href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/researchwatch/" style="float: left; ">RESEARCH WATCH</a> </div> <h1 id="ar_title">GeS “nanoflowers” could blossom in next-gen solar cells</h1> <div class="summary_details_left"> <p>By <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/author/darren-quick/" rel="author">Darren Quick</a></p> <p><em>October 11, 2012</em></p> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> </div> </div> <div id="article_share_rail"> <div class="as_button"><div class="fb-like" data-href="http://www.gizmag.com/ges-nanoflower/24528/" data-send="false" data-layout="box_count" data-show-faces="false"></div><script type="text/javascript">_ga.trackFacebook();</script></div> <div class="as_button"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527/http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="vertical" data-via="gizmag">Tweet</a></div> <div class="as_button"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-href="http://www.gizmag.com/ges-nanoflower/24528/"></div></div> <div class="as_button"><iframe style="overflow: hidden; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527if_/http://badge.stumbleupon.com/badge/embed/5/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gizmag.com%2Fges-nanoflower%2F24528%2F" width="50" height="60" id="iframe-stmblpn-widget-1"></iframe></div> <div class="as_button"><div class="pin-it-button" data-url="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527oe_/http://www.gizmag.com/ges-nanoflower/24528/" data-image="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/ges_nanoflower.jpg" data-description="Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a “nanoflower” structure out of germanium sulfide (GeS) that shows great promise for use in energy-storage devices and more efficient solar cells."></div></div> <div class="as_button"><script type="IN/Share" data-counter="top"></script></div> <div class="as_button" id="reddit_button_rail"><script type="text/javascript">reddit_newwindow='1'</script></div> </div> <div id="hero_box" style="width: 530px;"> <a id="hero_link" href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/ges-nanoflower/24528/pictures"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/ges_nanoflower.jpg" title="The GeS 'nanoflowers' have petals only 20-30 nanometers thick, and provide a large surface..." width="530" height="297" alt="The GeS 'nanoflowers' have petals only 20-30 nanometers thick, and provide a large surface..."/></a> <div class="pic_caption"> <p>The GeS 'nanoflowers' have petals only 20-30 nanometers thick, and provide a large surface area in a small amount of space</p> </div> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div class="article_body"> <div id="top_unit"></div> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527js_/http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script> <p>Researchers have already turned to the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/sunflower-heliostat-csp-layout/21086/" target="_blank">humble sunflower</a> for inspiration to design more efficient Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant layouts, and now a team from North Carolina State University has developed a “nanoflower” structure out of germanium sulfide (GeS) that shows great promise for use in energy-storage devices and more efficient solar cells. The secret is the material's ultrathin petals that provide a large surface area in only a small amount of space.</p> <p>The researchers created the flower-like structures by first heating GeS powder in a furnace until it began to vaporize. The vapor is then blown into a cooler region of the furnace, where the GeS settles into a layered sheet measuring just 20 to 30 nanometers thick and up to 100 micrometers long. A flower-like structure similar to a carnation or marigold is formed as additional layers are added causing the sheets branch out from one another.</p> <p>GeS is a semiconductor material that is attractive for use in solar cells because it is inexpensive and non-toxic, while its atomic structure makes it good at absorbing solar energy and converting it into useable power. But solar cells aren’t the only potential applications for the nanoflower technology.</p> <p>“This could significantly increase the capacity of lithium-ion batteries, for instance, since the thinner structure with larger surface area can hold more lithium ions,” says Dr. Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research. “By the same token, this GeS flower structure could lead to increased capacity for supercapacitors, which are also used for energy storage.”</p> <p>The team’s paper is published in the journal <em><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527/http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/nanotation/pipe/abs/10.1021/nn303745e" target="_blank">ACS Nano</a></em>.</p> <p>Source: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527/http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/wms-cao-flower/" target="_blank">North Carolina State University</a></p>   <div id="bottom_unit"> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527js_/http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script> </div> </div>   <span class="title share_bar">Share</span> <div id="article_share_bar" class="dotsontop share_bar"> <div class="as_button fb_as_button"><div class="fb-like" data-href="http://www.gizmag.com/ges-nanoflower/24528/" data-send="false" data-layout="box_count" data-show-faces="false"></div><script type="text/javascript">_ga.trackFacebook();</script></div> <div class="as_button"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527/http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="vertical" data-via="gizmag">Tweet</a></div> <div class="as_button"><div class="g-plusone" data-size="tall" data-href="http://www.gizmag.com/ges-nanoflower/24528/"></div></div> <div class="as_button"><iframe style="overflow: hidden; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527if_/http://badge.stumbleupon.com/badge/embed/5/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gizmag.com%2Fges-nanoflower%2F24528%2F" width="50" height="60" id="iframe-stmblpn-widget-2"></iframe></div> <div class="as_button"><div class="pin-it-button" data-url="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527oe_/http://www.gizmag.com/ges-nanoflower/24528/" data-image="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/ges_nanoflower.jpg" data-description="Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a “nanoflower” structure out of germanium sulfide (GeS) that shows great promise for use in energy-storage devices and more efficient solar cells."></div></div> <div class="as_button"><script type="IN/Share" data-counter="top"></script></div> <div class="as_button" id="reddit_button_bar"><script type="text/javascript">reddit_newwindow='1'</script></div> </div>  <span class="title clear_left">About the Author</span> <div class="dotsontop" id="authorcontainer">  <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/author/darren-quick/"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527im_/http://images.gizmag.com/author_profiles/34.jpg" alt="Darren Quick" id="bio_pic"/> </a>   Darren's love of technology started in primary school with a Nintendo Game & Watch Donkey Kong (still functioning) and a Commodore VIC 20 computer (not still functioning). In high school he upgraded to a 286 PC, and he's been following Moore's law ever since. This love of technology continued through a number of university courses and crappy jobs until 2008, when his interests found a home at Gizmag.   <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/author/darren-quick/">All articles by Darren Quick</a> <br class="clear_both"> </div>  <div id="tags"> <span class="title">Tags</span> <div class="dotsontop"> <ul> <li>» <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/nanomaterials/" rel="tag">Nanomaterials</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/nanostructures/" rel="tag">Nanostructures</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/north-carolina-state-university/" rel="tag">North Carolina State University</a></li> </ul> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> </div> <div id="bing_unit"></div> <span class="title">Post a Comment</span> <div class="dotsontop" id="comment_form_div"> <div id="comment_form" data-article="24528"> <div id="comments_login"> <form action="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/index.php" name="login_form" id="login_form" onsubmit="return false;"> <p class="bold">Login with your gizmag account:</p> <p id="login_status"></p> <label for="email">Email</label><input type="text" name="email" id="email" value=""/> <label for="password">Password</label><input type="password" name="password" id="password" value=""/> <input type="submit" value="Log In" class="med"/> <div id="options"> <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/register/">Register here</a><br> <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/new_password/">Forgotten your password?</a> </div> <input type="hidden" id="expired_comment" value=""/> </form> </div> <div id="facebook_login"> <p>Or <span class="bold">Login with Facebook:</span></p><br/> <div class="fb-login-button" data-scope="email" data-max-rows="1" data-onlogin="loginFUser(24528);" data-autologoutlink="true"></div> </div> </div> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div>  <span class="title">Related Articles</span> <div id="related_articles" class="dotsontop"> <ul> <li> <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/nanoscale-sandwich-solar-cells/23092/" title="Using what they call the 'nanoscale sandwich' technique, researchers have created ultra-th..."> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20121026021527im_/http://images.gizmag.com/related/nanoscalesandwich.jpg" alt="Using what they call the 'nanoscale sandwich' technique, researchers have created ultra-th..."/> </a> <a class="rel_title" href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/nanoscale-sandwich-solar-cells/23092/">"Nanoscale sandwich" technique could mean thinner, cheaper solar cells</a> <p class="rel_date">25th June, 2012</p> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20121026021527/http://www.gizmag.com/north-carolina-campus-goes-solar/8670/" title="The 435 panel, 75.6 kW solar array sits on land owned by N.C. 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GeS “nanoflowers” could blossom in next-gen solar cells