Graphene: is history repeating itself?

Silicon made possible the revolution in semiconductor miniaturization that began in the 1960s. So the fact that today size is considered a serious limitation of silicon is an indication of how far the technology has advanced since that time. As the silicon substrates used in electronics and solar cells reach their limits, how can manufacturers…

Cutting solar manufacturing costs

Manufacturing solar cells traditionally involves complex and costly vacuum-based processes. Now, some industry specialists believe new approaches can cut costs and bring ‘grid parity’ within reach. They urge producers to discover how thermal processes and electro-deposition enable cost-effective high volume thin-film PV production. Sunlight may be free, but generating electricity with PV cells remains expensive.…

Milk? Full-fat, semi-skimmed or transparent?

Fancy a glass of transparent milk? It could one day be a regular sight on menus and in supermarkets – thanks to a device known as a microsieve and a production technology called 3D lithography. As the name suggests, microsieves are filtration devices that work at the microscopic scale. Now a team from the Delft…