Scientists have created self-healing solar panels

Solar panels are a great way to get electricity, but the trouble is, their service life is not that long, plus it's still quite fragile devices. Of course, scientists and just engineers are trying to create panels that will be resistant to damage, but so far these attempts have not brought much success. However, the other day, scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed solar cells that can recover themselves. The magnitude of such solar cells is very small, not more than a few nanometers. However, with such dimensions, these elements can support their work, recovering in case of damage. In this case, the production of solar energy is approximately at the same level.

According to scientists, the panels are able to find the necessary elements for themselves, using proteins, carbon tubes and some other materials for this. The result is a device with a very long life. Today, the efficiency of solar cells over time is constantly falling, because sunlight, coupled with air molecules, destructively affects solar panels. Scientists say that the “aging” of panels can be compared with the process of yellowing of paper, which constantly lies in the open. As a result, the coefficient of conversion of solar energy into electrical energy constantly decreases with time, and in the end, the panel has to be simply thrown away.

However, scientists pay most attention to the battery capacity and efficiency of their work, not really thinking about how long the solar panel created by them can last. But scientists from the aforementioned Massachusetts Institute of Technology have begun work to enhance the reliability of battery design. They created a kind of nanostructure, the work of which is based on the process of photosynthesis. So far, the magnitude of the solar cells manufactured by scientists is very small, but it all starts with a small truth? The solar cell created by scientists is a synthetic mass in which the synthetic “metabolism” reaction takes place, in which the material of the element’s frame, carbon nanotubes, is also involved. In addition, the composition of such an element includes surfactants (surfactants), which break down some types of compounds.

In general, scientists have created a synthetic autonomous structure that works independently, restoring itself (as indicated, all this so far in the microworld, literally a few nanometers). Of course, it will take a long time for self-healing solar panels to appear, but progress is progressing, right? Perhaps in 5-10 years we will get the coveted solar panels, which can last a very long time.