Print on the dusty surface of the moon
Public domain wurced / access rights from CBW / Alamy
Future Lunar Basics Solar cells made from the dust of the moon dust.
Building items on the moon, using Materials alreadyWould be more practical than sending from the ground. When Felix Lang In Germany he had heard about this idea at the University of Potsdam, he immediately knew what to do. “It was similar,” we need to make a solar cell like that, “he says.
Two years later, Lang’s team built and tested some solar cells as a moon dust ingredient. Another key component is a crystal called Halide perovskite, with elements such as lead, bromine and iodine, along with long carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen molecules.
The group melted a synthetic version Lunar regolith – Layer Loose rocks The moon slows down the moon – “Moonglass” entered, then layered with the crystal to form a solar cell. They did not purify the regolith, so Moonglass was therefore transparent than the usual materials, in the usual solar cells. But Lang says the best prototypes of the group still reached about 12% efficiency. More conventional solar cells usually reach efficiency close to 26 percent; Lang suggests that computer simulations could come to that future.
Generally, Researchers agree Perovskite solar cells will exceed more traditional silicon-based devices, both in space and on the ground. From the perspective of the moon, the use of perovskite materials is also attractive because they can be very thin, which would reduce the weight of the material transport to the moon. According to the group estimates, solar cells in the 400-square-foot area would be asked for a pound of perovskite perovskite. This is a spectacular proclamation, says Ian Crawford In Birkbeck at the University of London.
The need to purify the regolithic is very important, it means that there is no special reactor. In fact, Lang says that a large curved mirror and sunlight can create hot hot light to make hot heat. One of his colleagues already tested this technique on the roof of the university and saw some signs of melting regolitas.
Nicholas Bennett Sydney in the University of Technology, while past research tried to process the moon by processing the rololith, proven that a solar cell is manufactured, the last time less moonglass. The challenge now, says, is to do a lot of Moonglass outside the laboratory. If successful, this melting technology can help create other elements by a Lunar base, like tabs, says Crawford.
Michael Duke At the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Moonglass-based solar cells will require many technological advances in manufacturing, digging the regeneration to connect individual cells to Arrate. However, if the solar cell factory was established on the moon, it may have positive effects. In this futureSatellite-based systems can use the moon solar cells instead of those created on the ground, and launching loads from the moon requires less energy.
Lang and his colleagues are working on the effectiveness of solar cells. For example, they are working to improve their Moonglass’s quality using magnets, to select iron from the junction, before melting.
After all, they want to spread the process to others Space declarations. “We’re already thinking,” can we do this work with Mars Regolith? Lang says.
Themes:
- MoonVentor /
- Space exploration
