Quantum Materials Corp. (fka QTMM)

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http://katerva.org/blog/record-high-efficiency-for-colloidal-quantum-dot-solar-cell/

Record High Efficiency for Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cell
By Nathanael in blog | 1 Comments
21SEPTEMBER2011


Researchers from the University of Toronto, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia), and Pennsylvania State University have created the most efficient colloidal quantum dot solar cell of all time. An additional contributor was Huazhong University of Wuhan, China.
Colloidal refers to those elements in liquid suspension — commonly metals, as in colloidal silver. Quantum dots are nanoscale particles (that is, measured in nanometers, or 1,000 times smaller than a micrometer) of a semiconductor material like cadmium selenide, indium arsenide, or zinc.
These particles typically measure between 2 and 10 nanometers, or the width of 50 atoms, and because of their small size offer different optical and electrical properties from the “parent” element. The smaller the dot, the closer to the blue end of the light spectrum; the larger, the closer to red – a calibration process that scientists call “size quantization.”
These quantum packages can be delivered as a powder or as a solution, and the recent ability to produce them in mass quantities means that a single pound of product can create a large quantity of secondary-use products, namely in the spraying or printing of these quantum dots on layers of film to produce thin-film solar panels or building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products that can enhance traditional cladding materials like stainless steel and provide electricity as well.
Read the full story at EnergyBoom.com.