
University of Wisconsin-Madison Geology Museum
This crystal of iron pyrite shows the characteristic cubic crystals of “fool’s gold.” A new study led by Song Jin at the University of Wisconsin-Madison identifies defects in pyrite’s crystal structure as a critical obstacle to building commercial solar cells from the cheap and abundant iron pyrite material.
As the installation of photovoltaic solar cells continues to accelerate, scientists are looking for inexpensive materials beyond the traditional silicon that can efficiently convert sunlight into electricity.
Theoretically, iron pyrite — a cheap compound that makes a common mineral known as fool’s gold — could do the job, but when it works at all, the conversion efficiency remains frustratingly low. Now, a University of Wisconsin-Madison research team explains why that is, in a discovery that suggests how improvements in this promising material could lead to inexpensive yet efficient solar cells.
“We think we now understand why pyrite hasn’t worked,” says chemistry Professor Song Jin, “and that provides the hope, based on our understanding, for figuring out how to make it work. This could be even more difficult, but exciting and rewarding.”
Although most commercial photovoltaic cells nowadays are based on silicon, the light-collecting film must be relatively thick and pure, which makes the production process costly and energy-intensive, says Jin.
A film of iron pyrite — a compound built of iron and sulfur atoms — could be 1,000 times thinner than silicon and still efficiently absorb sunlight.
Like silicon, iron and sulfur are common elements in the Earth’s crust, so solar cells made of iron pyrite could have a significant material cost advantage in large scale deployment. In fact, previous research that balanced factors like theoretical efficiency, materials availability, and extraction cost put iron pyrite at the top of the list of candidates for low-cost and large-scale photovoltaic materials.
The Latest on: Iron pyrite
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Iron pyrite” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Iron pyrite
- 19 Pyrite Street, Pimpama QLD 4209on November 25, 2023 at 2:45 am
You will find this home located in the sought-after suburb of Pimpama. This property offers a comfortable and modern lifestyle for you and your family. Featuring four bedrooms, this home provides ...
- Separating Out Signals Recorded at the Seaflooron November 24, 2023 at 12:15 pm
One of the ways that scientists like Fike use deposits from the seafloor is to reconstruct timelines of past ecological and environmental change. Researchers are keenly interested in how and when ...
- Golden Minerals Begins Producing Gold-Bearing Pyrite Concentrate at Velardeñaon November 20, 2023 at 4:00 pm
GOLDEN, Colo. — Golden Minerals Company (“Golden Minerals,” “Golden” or the “Company”) (NYSE-A: AUMN and TSX: AUMN) is pleased to announce it has begun producing gold-bearing pyrite flotation ...
- 3 Ways to Polish Pyrite Crystalson November 15, 2023 at 2:50 am
Pyrite is one of the most captivating minerals for collectors due to its stunning gold-like appearance, often called ‘Fool’s Gold’. While pyrite is naturally beautiful, polishing these crystalline ...
- Effect of pH and Dissolved Silicate on the Formation of Surface Passivation Layers for Reducing Pyrite Oxidation ()on November 8, 2023 at 4:48 pm
Levay& Co.; University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Minerals and Materials Science & Technology, Mawson Institute. Acid mine drainage (AMD)and toxic metal release ...
- Sulfur and unroasted pyrite export value from India FY 2016-2022on October 29, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Value of sulfur and unroasted pyrite exported from India from financial year 2016 to 2022 (in million U.S. dollars) Characteristic Export value in million U.S. dollars ...
- Gold and arsenic in pyriteon September 12, 2023 at 4:52 pm
Pyrite is the most common metallic mineral in the basement rocks in Otago. The ideal formula for pyrite is FeS2, but both the iron and the sulphur can be replaced in the crystal structure by other ...
- The Effect of As, Co, and Ni impurities on pyrite oxidation kinetics: An Electrochemical study of synthetic pyriteon May 19, 2023 at 8:52 am
The anodic dissolution of pyrite and the reduction of ferric iron half-reactions are taken as proxies for natural pyrite oxidation. Pyrite containing no impurities is least reactive. Pyrite with As is ...
- Wireless Detectorson May 12, 2023 at 11:25 pm
The Perikon Detector contact is between crystals of chalco-pyrites and zincite; in the Ferron Detector between a crystal of iron pyrites and a metal point; in the Silicon Detector between the ...
- Examples of 'iron pyrite' in a sentenceon March 13, 2022 at 11:29 am
They actually made all their money from fool’s gold, or iron pyrite, which was also found in the mine and used to make sulfuric acid. However, historically (at least), iron sulfide (iron pyrite), ...
via Bing News