With the decline in the world's natural resources, the need for new and cheaper energy sources is evolving. One such source is the sun which generates heat and light which can be harnessed and used to our advantage.
This reference book introduces the topic of photovoltaics in the form of flexible solar cells. There are explanations of the principles behind this technology, the engineering required to produce these products and the future possibilities offered by this field.
The chemistry and physics of the cells (both organic and inorganic) are clarified as well as production methods, with information how this can then be applied to the nanoscale as well.
A complete guide to this new and exciting way of producing energy which will be invaluable to a variety of people from material scientists, chemists, electrical engineers, to management consultants and politicians.
About the Author
Mario Pagliaro is a research chemist and management thinker based in Palermo at Italy's CNR, where he leads a research group and the Institute for Scientific Methodology. Professor Pagliaro's research focuses on the development of functional materials for a variety of uses. In 2005 he was appointed Maitre de conferences associe at the Montpellier Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie. Mario has co-invented a number of novel technologies, some of which have been commercialized. He is the author of 6 books and numerous scientific papers and holds 4 international Patents to his name. Since 2004, he has been the organizer for the prestigious Seminar "Marcello Carapezza".
Giovanni Palmisano is currently a PhD student in Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Palermo, working under the supervision of Vincenzo Augugliaro and Mario Pagliaro. He received his MSc in Chemical Engineering in 2005 and is currently working on sol-gel materials for selective photo- and electrocatalytic processes. he is the co-author of 20 scientific papers, 15 communications and 2 book chapters.
Rosaria Ciriminna is a research chemist at the Palermo National research Center in the Institute of Nanostructured Materials, Dr. Criminna's research interests include so-gel multifunctional materials for a variety of applications, ranging from environmentally benign syntheses, to sensing and photochemical processes. Since obtaining her chemistry degree in 1995 from the University of Palermo, she has been a visiting scientist at the Universities of reading, York and Padua and at the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie in Montpellier.
