1. Carbon Nanotubes for Solar Energy Group 1  Kevin Andrews  Aaron Loichle  Kyle O’Brien  Eric Prebor

2. What are Carbon Nanotubes? Carbon Atoms arranged in a hexagonally shape rolled into tubes. Nanotechnology Mechanical and electrical properties. Photosensitive material. Convert light to electricity efficiently. Transmission Electron Microscope.

3. Composition and Antennas Solar Funnels Antennas of fibrous rope of 10 micrometers long and 4 micrometers thick. (millionths of a meter) 30 million carbon nanotubes. Two layers of nanotubes with different bandgaps. Higher bandgap and lower bandgap.

4. How Does it Work?  Carbon nanotubes are combined to make antennas  Concentrate solar energy 100 times more effectively  Boost the number of photons captured

5. How Does it Work?  Two layer fibers  Different electrical properties  Hole and bandgap  High to low energy  Concentration in center of antenna

6. Advantages  One possible application would be to use the carbon nanotubes in new kinds of small electronic devices such as sensors or treatment devices that could be injected into the body.  Even though these nanowires are small, they could be put together to produce a large amount of power for very large devices.

7. Advantages  Also these devices could indefinitely maintain their power. Most batteries will leak away their charge over time if they are not used.  Another theory is that they could change the coating and have it produce an alternating current. That would open up many new possibilities for technology.

8. Disadvantages -The carbon nanotubes themselves are a potential hazard to the environment if they are not carefully monitored -The nanotubes are yet to be optimized, it isn’t clear what arrangement will actually yield the most productivity. -The biggest concern is their similarity to asbestos fibers, as well as their overall untested status.

9. Works Cited Dai, L. (2006). Carbon Nanotechnology: Recent Developments in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science and Device Applications. Miamisburg, OH, USA: Elsevier Science. El chaar, L., Lamont, L. A., & Elzein, N. (2010). PV Technology - Industry update. Power and Energy Society General Meeting, (pp. 1-6, 25-29). Fiorito, S. (2008). Carbon Nanotubes: Angels or Demons? Chicago, IL, USA: Pan Stanford Publishing. Greenemeier, L. (May 20,2008). Scientific American. Retrieved October 12,2010.from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=carbon-nanotube-danger. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2010, October 10). Funneling solar energy: Antenna made of carbon nanotubes could make photovoltic cells more efficient. Science Daily. MIT researchers discover new way of producing electricity. (2010). Retrieved October 12, 2010 from PhysOrg: http://www.physorg.com/ ​ news187186888.html Vagn, E. H., & Villy, J. M. (2010). Patent No. EP2227633. Denmark.