Cheap and easy to build homemade solar cells

[hartiberlin]

Hi All,
now I have found again the link to a cheap method to build
homemade solar cells:

http://www.mansolar.com/index.htm

As the summer comes now and the sun is shining again,
I will order all the chemicals to make such a homemade solar cell.

Also I will tryto modify these with my knowledge won in the
saltwater cells.

Have a look at the easy steps to make them here:


http://www.mansolar.com/make.htm

Needed is SnO2 for the conductive TCO layer and
TiO2 and some Bromberry juice( or different activator) and graphite.

One could make pretty large cells with this method !
Imagine 50x50 cm glasplates made by it.

Regards, Stefan.

[hartiberlin]

P.S: If someone finds the efficiency for these cells, please post it.

Is there still any other conductive transparent metallic material
other than SnO2 ?

One would just need a metal-transparent conductive layer combination,
that has a bandgap together such, that light can knock off electrons
and push them  up the bandgap.
How much eV ( electronVolts) does normal sunlight have ?

[hartiberlin]

http://www.solideas.com/solrcell/english.html


Here is another explanation how to do it.
Also checkout this additional tip:

soot coating as catalysator:
http://www.solideas.com/solrcell/phlab4.html

[hartiberlin]

Here is more about the Graetzel cell in German language:

http://www.science-forum.de/download/graetzelober.pdf
very good informations there.

One thing to enhance the cell would be to use just a graphite plate as one
electrode ! This would avoid the need of the tinoxid plated glas plate at one side
and the light would go twice through the cell, cause the graphite also
reflects the light !

Regards, Stefan.

[AbbaRue]

A cheap way to make a solar cell is with copper foil. Cut to the size you want.
First clean the foil good with steal wool to remove any oxide.
You heat the foil over a propane torch until the opposite side of the foil has a black oxide coating on it.
Don't over heat or the oxide will be burned off too.
Once the whole side is coated with this black oxide. You cool the foil slowly by removing it gradually from the flame.
Then you use steal wool and rub the black oxide coating off revealing a "red cuprous oxide" coating.
Be careful not to scratch the red coating. This red coating is the solar cell material.
This red coating is the negative lead and the shinny copper side that the flame was on is the positive lead.
To get a better contact a wire mesh can be applied to the red coating, like metal fly screen.
or better would be to put a light silver or gold coating on the red coating.
But the silver or gold coating must be thin enough to be transparant. 
Another method would be to paint conducting lines on the red coating with conducting paint,
like rear window defrost repair kits use. You could make a paint with Epoxy and graphite powder too.
Mix the graphite with the resin first to consistancy you want then add the hardener.

Another way to do it is to find a supplier of the  "red cuprous oxide powder" and apply this to copper foil.
Not sure how that is done, I just read in Japan someone was doing that.

Me personally, I live in Canada, and I would just go to Canadian Tire and pick up a solar pannel for $35.
and use a large magnifying lens sold at business deput used for reading. And make a solar pannel that way.
Or make a large mirror array to concentrate the sun on the cell.
But if you  are interested in makeing your own cell, now you know how.