Discovery
News: Cellphone battery life is one of the most limiting
aspects of the devices. One possible solution is to include
solar cells in the body or screen of the phone. Solar cells on
the backs of phones have existed for a while but have never
been widely adopted. So now efforts are focused on screens.
Some companies are working to develop transparent solar cells
that absorb only nonvisible light. Others are working to
include solar cells in organic LED screens. Both options are
expensive and still experimental. SunPartner Group from
Aix-en-Provence, France, has developed a low-cost solution
using current technology, which they are already testing with
manufacturers. Their screen is made of alternating layers of
thin-film solar cells and transparent film. A layer of lenses
is added to focus the incoming light and to spread the screen
image to hide the solar cell strips. The screen is currently
82% transparent, with future versions expected to reach 90%.
The company estimates that adding the screen to a phone will
increase the cost by less than $5 while extending battery life
by 20%.
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© 2013 American Institute of Physics
Transparent cellphone screen doubles as solar charger Free
17 June 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.5.027101
Content License:FreeView
EISSN:1945-0699
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