UK, US researchers working on self-assembling solar cells
from the fun-in-the-sun dept.
Patrick Underwood writes: "Here is an article from newscientist.com on self-assembling solar cells ("Self-assembling solar cells developed", by Ian Sample, 9 August 2001). Reminds me of Unbounding the Future. This comes pretty close to the idea in that book of paving streets with solar collectors."
The New Scientist article describes solar cells that "self assemble" from a liquid developed by scientists at the University of Cambridge. The method could make it cheap and easy to cover large areas, like roofs, with efficient, ultra-thin solar cell coatings.
Related research is being conducted at the University of Arizona, as described in this detailed press release from 28 August 2001. UA researchers have received nearly US$ 1 million from two separate federal grants to develop organic molecules that "self assemble," or self-organize, from liquid into efficient solar cell coatings. Some of the UA researchers had previously collaborated with the U Cambridge team.
August 30th, 2001 at 4:34 PM
Huh?
What's the big deal here? Self-Assembly has been seen in Chemistry for years now. Are you mistaking the self-assembly in the article with 'self-replication'?
'Self-Replication' is the key to Nanotechnology, itself, but self-assembly is not. It's too bad that the researchers at IBM and the universities think that reaching the 10^9 limit in size is Nanotechnology – when in fact, it's not. TRUE Nanotechnology will only be made possible with Self-Replication and no one has found out a way to self-replicate ANYTHING but their own cells yet. Perhaps our cells hold the key to the knowledge of self-replication?
August 31st, 2001 at 8:32 AM
Re:Huh?
..self assembly is one of the key properties of components in biological replication, so learning new things about it is not to be sneezed at – our own cells would be unable to to replicate or even function without the property of self-assembly, which all our proteins (read: machine parts) possess. It is no coincidence that many researchers in the nanotech arena study molecular biology avidly.
Aside from this, the development of self-replicating nanoscale systems is something that I feel should be avoided, as they are so exceptionally dangerous – the 'grey goo' scenario could so easily result from a single misplaced machine instruction. It is far safer to have macro-scale assembly devices that turn out self-assembling nanoscale parts or systems, because its much easier to control something you can see without instruments (try flipping the 'off' switch on a robot a few microns across. Hell, try finding a robot a few microns across…..)
Besides, don't you find the idea of buying a can of 'Solar Paint' for your roof to cut your energy bills appealing?