Tiny Silver Nano-Trees Pack Huge Solar Power Punch

MARCH 7, 2012 BY TINA CASEY 

A team of researchers at the University of California, Davis has developed solar energy’s Next Big Thing: nanoscale silver filaments grown in a treelike pattern. Just as a tree’s leaves collect sunlight over a broad surface area relative to their trunks, the filaments of silver nano-trees would be able to collect solar energy over a broad surface area relative to their supporting structure. Though the grant supporting the research is only a modest $100,000, it could lead to a new low-cost method for fabricating highly efficient solar cells.

Source: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/16H07)