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ScienceQuiet 3d · day 4

Groningen physicists explain why tin-based solar cells hold heat 1,000× longer

New analysis clarifies the mechanism behind a tin-based solar material that could help panels break past the theoretical 33% efficiency ceiling.

newest coverage 3d agosummary written 2d ago5 pieces1.2k likes & upvotes13 comments RedditMastodonX

What to know

  • Conventional solar cells are theoretically capped at about 33% efficiency because 'hot' electrons cool and lose energy as heat before it can be captured.
  • A tin-based material previously shown to trap that heat 1,000 times longer has now had its mechanism explained: a hot phonon bottleneck plus the Burstein-Moss effect acting together.
  • The work, from the University of Groningen and published in ACS Energy Letters, is a step toward scaling the material for commercial panels, not a working product yet.
  • At least one technical commenter flagged unresolved questions about how the underlying photoluminescence data was interpreted.

University of Groningen research team Study authors

Groningen physicists explain why tin-based solar cells hold heat 1,000× longer
techradar.com

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump postscomments

Peak 1 piece in one hour at Sep 19, 8 PM; 5 pieces over 4 days (4 posts · 1 comment) Sep 19, 8 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Sep 19, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Reddit 1Sep 20, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — X 1Sep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quiet 123
Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 12:58 AM ET
  1. 3

    Viral X post frames finding as energy-crisis breakthrough

    A widely shared X post described the research as a way to help 'solve humanity's energy crisis,' amplifying the story to a large audience and drawing over a thousand engagements.

    “Scientists just made a massive breakthrough that could help solve humanity's energy crisis.”
    — @pubity

    • Scientists just made a massive breakthrough that could help solve humanity's energy crisis. New tin-based solar panels trap the heat from hot electrons 1,000 times longer than current panels, pushing solar power past the theoretical limit of what scientists thought was possible.

      @pubityX3d ago1.2k▲view on X ↗
  2. background

    Groningen team explains tin solar cell's 1,000x heat-trapping effect — Researchers combined computer simulations and experimental measurements to determine that two known effects — a hot phonon bottleneck and the Burstein-Moss effect — act together to keep hot electrons from cooling quickly in a tin-based solar material, a step toward eventually pushing solar efficiency past the theoretical 33% limit.

  3. 2

    Reddit commenter questions the data's robustness

    A commenter expressed skepticism about the interpretation of the time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) data used to support the band-filling explanation, noting it had not been validated across a range of excitation intensities.

    “at first glance not convinced by an interpretation of TRPL data that incorporates band filling but isn't validated over a range of excitation intensities. hopefully it's a robust result…”
    — u/youwerewrongagainoop

    • at first glance not convinced by an interpretation of TRPL data that incorporates band filling but isn't validated over a range of excitation intensities. hopefully it's a robust result

      youwerewrongagainoopr/technology3d agoview on r/technology ↗
  4. 1

    Story republishes across Mastodon and social feeds

    The TechRadar writeup was reshared by multiple Mastodon/Flipboard accounts, spreading the explanation of the hot-electron cooling mechanism further without new findings.

    “It is the simultaneous satisfaction of these electronic, phononic, and chemical criteria, operating under high-injection conditions, that enables the ultra-long cooling times necessary for practical devices…”
    — University of Groningen researchers, study authors · source

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 2 · verbatim