Finally : cheap DIY selfmade solar cell with common materials !

[mdmiller]

hey I just had a thought... would the metalized window tint film work in lieu of ITO coated glass ??  the kind you can put on your car or home windows.  It comes in various transparencies and different types of metallic coatings (or different colors anyway)

I don't have any but wonder if someone might have some and could see what the conductive or resistance values are.  I do know that the metalized mylar like they make balloons out of makes a great conductor

- thanks - Duane.

[Doug1]

You will need to consider the metalized plastics may also have a protective coating to prevent the coating from being easily scratched off or oxidized while in storage before use. printed materials like most balloons will will have a protective coating to protect the printing or image. Maybe a bit of sand paper to expose the metal layer before checking it.
   Those balloons seam to last for years stuck in trees so they weather well enough. Companies that manufacture the plastic may provide the answer with little more then a phone call. Clear mylar will begin to yellow and become dull after a few yrs. If you ever run across one of those big projection TV set in a box they have a perfect mirror coated plastic sheet in a frame inside the unit to reflect the image onto the screen from the three projection guns. I really enjoy gutting those big TV's lots of goodies in them.
   When these LCD big screens start to go bad and end up in the trash that will be a fine day. i would not discount the chance to use the conductive coating as a diode if it is possible with some measure of oxidation. Then it can become a redundant diode to protect the cells. 

[Doug1]

Interestingly similar
http://www.fuji-piezo.com/lumi-she.htm

  Can this dilectric trickery be used to control the band with of light absorption through frequency adjustments? There by reducing the level of perfection in the emitting layer of a cell??

[infringer]

Wow now were cooking with crisco here ! Good thinkin fellas just for informational purposes I archived how to tin windows...

But I am all for application of balloon type material ...

Or maybe other things that don't involve a chemistry lab this is great thinking keep tinkering we will find something if we stick to it!

Simple brute force will find an array of things we can do with different payoffs obviously the holy grail is price per watt.

[boostone]

I have a solar cell which generates 3.7volts [/glow] and I believe it generates 17.6 milliamps. The setting is at 200m on my meter. I need 12volts - 55watts and 4.58amps. How many solar cells do I need in parallel or series?

Thanks again