Miniature solar cells power up

By Clive Cookson
Published: November 7 2008 02:00

Miniature solar cells - about a quarter the size of this 'o' - have been tested in the US as a power source for microscopic machines. Xiamei Jiang and colleagues at the University of South Florida made an array of 20 such cells, to show they could power a tiny sensor for detecting dangerous chemicals.
The miniature cells, described in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, are made of an organic polymer (plastic) rather than the silicon used for traditional solar cells.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008