The first diamond solar panels paved the way for a material that exceeds all photovoltaic limitations.

• Diamond photovoltaic cells replace silicon with synthetic layers of doped diamond.

• This material is not only extremely hard and radiation resistant, but also has very good electronic properties.

In the race to overcome silicon’s physical limitations, the photovoltaic industry is betting on a material that surpasses even revolutionary perovskites in resistivity, heat capacity, and thermal energy efficiency: diamond.

What are diamond solar panels. There are many types of third generation solar panels that attempt to replace silicon cells. Diamond photovoltaic cells replace silicon with layers of synthetic diamond. Diamond is not a semiconductor, but when doped with certain elements it can become very interesting.

The more semiconductor diamond is explored as a silicon substitute for photovoltaic cells, the more it has the potential to overcome the theoretical limitations of traditional solar panels. And make them essentially obsolete.

What are its advantages? Diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of any known material, which could lead to solar panels with the rapid ability to dissipate excess heat that traditionally destroys silicon solar panels.

Diamond, as everyone knows, is extremely hard and resistant (even to radiation), but it also has very favorable electronic properties for solar energy harvesting, such as high charge carrier mobility (electrons and holes), which can dramatically improve efficiency. solar panels to unknown limits.

Adjustable restricted area. Diamond has a very wide bandgap, which scientists are trying to regulate through doping to create the optimal material for absorbing and converting solar energy.

Diamond solar panels are expected to be able to absorb and convert a wider spectrum of sunlight, including violet and ultraviolet rays, another advantage that will improve their efficiency.

And its shortcomings? There is a big barrier to entry – price. Producing high-quality synthetic diamonds is expensive and technically challenging, so the main focus of their research is to find a more efficient production process.

Progress is being gradually made in this regard. Synthetic diamond can be made from a cheap mixture of carbon and hydrogen, usually consisting of methane and atmospheric carbon dioxide, using a process known as chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

The gas mixture is introduced into a vacuum chamber, where it is activated by microwave heating, a hot filament, or plasma. In this process, the hydrocarbon is broken down and carbon atoms are deposited on a substrate such as silicon or metal, creating a thin layer of diamond.

Super material for extreme cases. As with silicon solar cells, obtaining higher purity diamonds requires additional costs in the manufacturing process that may be worth the long-term benefits in terms of productivity and quality.

Diamond solar panels have a long way to go to match the cost/benefit ratio of pure silicon and surpass perovskites, a mineral that is also beginning to be synthesized for photovoltaic cells. Meanwhile, doped diamond would be an ideal choice for applications where the resistance and efficiency of solar panels must be extreme, such as in space exploration.

Images | US Air Force National Accelerator Laboratory/SLAC

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