duke university Archives – The Green Optimistic

Energy Scavenged from Wireless Signals More Efficiently Due to New “Special Materials”

Danny Harper — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 07:52:40 +0000

Think of it as an energy-producing Bug Zapper. But rather than enticing and systematically destroying curious insects, this harvesting device gathers unused wave energy (ala microwave, Wi-Fi, satellite signals) and tunes them for useful applications. While gathering energy in such a manner has been done before, researchers at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have […]

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Silver Nanocubes and Metamaterials May Revolutionize Solar Cells

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 06:27:19 +0000

Researchers at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University in North Carolina have discovered that microscopic metallic cubes may allow metamaterials, human-made materials that are not found in nature, to absorb light, leading to cost-effective and efficient large-area absorbers for sensors or solar cells. Metamaterials are constructed with the ability to control the properties […]

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Transparent Copper Nanowires Proving Best for Solar Cells and Other Flexible Gadgets

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:31:39 +0000

To make the best solar cells flexible, researchers have to find the best conductive materials. Such conductors are silver and indium tin oxide (ITO) nanowires, but they have several drawbacks. The copper nanowires made using a method invented by Duke University chemists, on the other hand, are cheaper than silver and better (read more conductive) than carbon nanotubes.

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