However, the production of hydrogen is costly and requires a considerable amount of electricity, and using solar energy to reduce costs is a critical research topic, he said. The team has over the past decade been conducting research under the ministry’s Taiwan Consortium of Emergent Crystalline Materials program. About three years ago, it found a method to improve the efficiency of silicon by applying a thin graphene layer, Chen said. The most challenging part was evenly distributing the graphene layer on silicon panels, as the traditional way of coating using polymethylmethacrylate cannot flexibly attach the layer on a rough surface, Chen said. National Taiwan University of Science and Technology chemical engineering professor Hwang Bing-joe (黃炳照) and Tunghai University assistant professor of chemistry Wang Di-yan (王迪彥) were also part of the team.

Source: Taipei Times February 12, 2020 15:56 UTC