A program to develop ionic liquids and formulations to improve the performance and efficiency of solar cells has been initiated by BASF AG (Ludwigshafen, Germany) and G24 Innovations, Ltd. (G24i; Cardiff, Wales; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6901-545). G24i produces photovoltaic cells that use the same principles as photosynthesis in plants, which makes them sensitive to "far more" of the visible spectrum of light than conventional solar cells. Instead of chlorophyll, a ruthenium dye is used to convert light into electrical energy by a chemical process. The dye-sensitized thin-film technology was originally developed at the Swiss Institute of Technology (Lausanne, Switzerland).
Solar cells
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