Dye-sensitized solar cells to power Air Force unmanned aerial vehicles

Research officials from the University of Washington are working on dye-sensitized solar cells, which are expected to power Air Force unmanned aircraft in the future.

The University of Washington’s Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative project team is working on this initiative. The team is currently working on dye-sensitized solar cells with higher power convergence efficiencies using bioinspired dyes, which are installed in the wings of unmanned aircraft.

Dr. Minoru Taya, the lead researcher, and the team are working on these solar cells by using a flexible film and a thin glass coating with transparent conductive electrodes.

“These kinds of solar cells have more specific power convergence efficiency, very clean energy and easy scalability to a larger skin area of the craft, as well as low-temperature processing, which leads to lower costs overall,” Dr. Taya said.

These cells differ because of their “more nature-oriented design”, which is inspired by photosynthesis done by natural dyes, a process “inherent in biological species, leaves, bacteria”.

“Thus, the cost of processing is much cheaper than that of the current silicon-based solar cells, which require high temperature clean-room handling,” Dr.  Taya added.

Engineers are researching the challenges of dye-sensitized solar cells’ technology and are seeking to learn how durable they are and how well their technology may integrate with other Air Force vehicles. The team is also trying to determine how to build the solar cells in the wing surface of the aircraft and how to store energy harvested from them.