STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA, USA. Engineers have successfully created flexible and lightweight solar cells which may be attached to almost any surface just like a sticker. As compared to the typical kind of solar panels, these solar cells are so much lighter and cheaper.

The team of engineers at Stanford had to create a silicon dioxide “sandwich” by placing a 300-nanometer film of nickel on top of a silicon dioxide wafer which is later covered with thin film solar cells. It is then covered with a protective coating of polymer, followed by a layer of thermal release tape on top of the cells which will help with their transfer from the hard wafer.

The wafer is submerged in water while peeling the thermal release tape to remove the newly formed cell. That way, the water will come in contact with the nickel and the silicon dioxide. Now that the cell is separated from its hard substrate, the tape still attached to it is heated at 90°C for a few seconds. Once it is ready to be attached to its new home, the thermal release tape is removed.

The team of engineers at the Stanford University (School of Engineering) was led by Xiaolin Zheng and Chi Hwan Lee. They were able to achieve this technological breakthrough without having to sacrifice efficiency or even making huge changes to existing methods and materials for the project. That way, the new solar cells are even more commercially feasible.

Another good thing about it is that there will be no waste since the silicon wafer stays undamaged and clean. Once the cells are removed, the silicon wafer may be reused all over again.