Eco Factor: Fabric made from germanium nanowires to harness solar energy.
A tissue paper-like fabric created from germanium and silicon could prove to be as strong as Kevlar and as an added advantage it can harvest solar energy as well. Unlike bulk germanium, which isn’t flexible and is highly brittle, the fabric created from nanowires is flexible and is as strong as Kevlar.
However, these credentials won’t make germanium the next material in bulletproof clothing, as the bonds between aren’t actually as strong as they are in case of Kevlar. Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin are now planning to use the fabric’s semiconducting properties for another use – harvesting renewable energy.
Germanium can absorb both visible and invisible spectrum of light to generate electricity. This germanium-based photovoltaic isn’t as efficient as that made from silicon. To solve the issue, these scientists are developing similar tissue-like fabric made from silicon nanowires. Besides turning more sunlight into electricity, individual silicon nanowires are about 35 percent stronger than the germanium nanowires. They are also more resistant to corrosion.
Via: Discovery
