MIT researchers believe they may be able to overcome one of the primary limiting factors of photovoltaic solar technology.
The sunlight that solar cells convert into electricity over time degrades the cell itself, causing a loss of efficiency and eventually the end of use (and major disposal issues) after about 25 years.
But MIT scientists say they are making headway in designing solar panels that repair themselves, similar to the way plants do. They have created a novel set of self-assembling molecules that can turn sunlight into electricity; the molecules can be repeatedly broken down and then reassembled quickly, just by adding or removing an additional solution.
Read about the early-stage research in MIT news at the link below.
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