Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Nanotechnology - Size Matters!


Last week the First Year Seminar students in Dr. Anderson's CHEM-N 190 Nanotechnology: Size Matters class made solar cells from raspberry juice and titanium dioxide on a semiconductive glass surface. This is an example of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells which are at the cutting edge of thin film solar photovoltaic technology. With two-inch square panels, students cranked out a satisfying 0.3 volts per panel (see bottom left picture)!  It helped that the day happened to be mostly sunny. With this experience making solar cells, they should be well-informed for this week's field trip to Inovateus Solar.  Anderson's course is the second course offered at IU South Bend to focus on nanotechnology to support the new nanotechnology tracks offered for certain STEM majors.