Luna Innovations’ Research on Solar Cell Technology is Published in Nature Materials
11 Fevereiro 2009 - 11:00AM
Business Wire
Luna Innovations Incorporated (NASDAQ:LUNA) announces the solar
cell research of scientists Dr. Claudia Cardona and Dr. Martin
Drees has been published in the prestigious journal Nature
Materials. The paper titled "Endohedral fullerenes for organic
photovoltaic devices" presents a unique approach to enhance
flexible, plastic solar cells, also known as organic photovoltaic
(OPV) cells, by modifying the acceptor material rather than the
donor material. The paper, which is co-authored by researchers from
Georgetown University, University of California at Santa Barbara,
the U.S. Department of Energy�s National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) and Friedrich-Alexander-Universit�t
Erlangen-N�rnberg, Germany, describes how the efficiency
improvement was achieved through the use of Luna�s carbon
nanomaterials.
�Organic solar cells offer the potential for clean, renewable
energy at an affordable price,� said Kent Murphy, Chairman and CEO
of Luna Innovations. �These exciting energy harvesting devices can
change the way we convert sunlight to electricity. Because they are
flexible and easy to handle, they have potential for use in mobile
communication devices, consumer electronics, fabrics, building
materials, and more. An improvement in efficiency through the use
of a novel acceptor molecule is unique to the industry and could
enable solar cell manufacturers to increase performance and reduce
costs.�
Organic solar cells are made out of plastic-like polymers that
serve as electron donors and are combined with fullerene
nanomaterials, which serve as electron acceptors. Organic solar
cells weigh less and are cheaper to manufacture compared to
conventional inorganic silicon-based solar cells, which are
presently favored by the solar industry. An existing disadvantage
of organic solar cells is the efficiency at which they convert
sunlight to electricity. Luna�s solar cells use patented carbon
nanomaterials to capture more energy in the photovoltaic process,
which increases the organic solar cell efficiency.
�Our research demonstrates an entirely new approach of enhancing
OPV device performance by using improved acceptor materials, and
expands an area of OPV research that has remained relatively
stagnant over the last decade,� said Dr. Drees. �Luna�s novel
acceptor materials operate at high conversion efficiencies and are
an excellent complement to the fast growing semi-conductive-polymer
field. This demonstration is a significant advancement towards
making practical organic solar cell devices.�
This paper is an example of Luna�s work in materials that could
produce alternative energy forms. The company is focusing on
integrating its carbon nanomaterial technology into the products of
solar cell manufacturers making commercially viable products.
Luna�s nanomaterials have been independently verified at NREL as
setting a new record for efficiency of the commercially available
P3HT organic solar cell polymer. Luna continues its work to further
optimize organic solar cell performance through government-funded
technology development programs.
Luna�s research efforts were supported by the National Science
Foundation and Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
The paper in Nature Materials was scheduled for Advance Online
Publication at http://www.nature.com/materials/, beginning on
February 8, 2009. Papers published online before they have been
allocated to a print issue are citable via a digital object
identifier (DOI) number. The DOI for this paper is
10.1038/nmat2379. Once the paper is published electronically, the
DOI can be used to retrieve the abstract and full text (abstracts
are available to everyone, full text only to subscribers) by adding
it to the following URL: http://dx.doi.org/.
About Luna Innovations:
Luna Innovations Incorporated (www.lunainnovations.com) develops
and manufactures new-generation products for the healthcare,
telecommunications, energy and defense markets. Our products are
used to measure, monitor, protect and improve critical processes in
the markets we serve. Through its disciplined commercialization
business model, Luna has become a recognized leader in
transitioning science to solutions. Luna is headquartered in
Roanoke, Virginia.
About Nature Materials:
Nature Materials is a monthly multi-disciplinary journal aimed
at bringing together cutting-edge research across the entire
spectrum of materials science and engineering.
Forward Looking Statements:
This release includes information that constitutes
"forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor
provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including statements regarding the increased energy efficiencies of
Luna�s nanomaterials, the potential for affordable solar energy,
possible performance enhancements, and progress towards the
commercialization of organic solar cells. Actual results may differ
materially from the expectations expressed in such forward-looking
statements as a result of various factors, including technical
difficulties with OPV cells, polymer systems or Luna�s
nanomaterials, cost issues, competition from alternative, more
affordable energy sources, and risks and uncertainties set forth in
the company's periodic reports and other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Such filings are available at
the SEC's Web site at www.sec.gov, and at the company's Web site at
www.lunainnovations.com. The statements made in this release are
based on information available to the company as of the date of
this release and Luna Innovations undertakes no obligation to
update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this
release.
Disclaimer: Luna�s research efforts were supported by NSF Grants
IIP-0740454 and 0348955 and Air Force Office of Scientific Research
contract FA9550-06-C-0010. Any opinion, findings and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Air Force Office of
Scientific Research or the National Science Foundation.
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