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Another reason to like diamonds
Dennis Normile, Roy OConnor, Bruce Wiebusch, Norman Bartlett -- Design News, July 16, 2001
What's not to like about diamonds? As the hardest natural substance on Earth, they are useful for many demanding applications, from concrete saws to artificial hips. They sparkle and refract light into rainbows of color. But now there's another good reason to like diamonds because they may help us convert sunlight into electricity. Weng Poo Kang, an associate professor of electrical engineering, is working with Timothy Fisher, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University, evaluating polycrystalline diamonds as a replacement for silicon solar cells used in space applications. They think that the diamonds have a 50% conversion efficiency—much better than the 15% efficiency for silicon solar cells. The researchers also say the polycrystalline diamonds are better than silicon because they operate at higher temperatures and withstand harmful and degrading effects of radiation better. Surprisingly, they estimate that the cost of diamonds is as little as $1 per square centimeter when produced in large volumes. The diamond solar converters are not photovoltaic devices like silicon cells, but rather thermal devices that convert light into heat and heat into electricity. Their system uses millions of microscopic diamond crystals made into thin films and laminated to sheet metal that act as a cathode for the device. Another sheet of electrically conductive material is placed on top of the film and serves as the anode. A radiation absorption plate heats when exposed to sunlight. The diamond crystals, which appear as tiny pyramids in the film, emit streams of electrons that flow across to the anode, which creates the electric current. For more information, go to http://exploration.vanderbilt. edu/news/news_diamond.htm.
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