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G24 Innovations and BASF sign joint Development Agreement
Advances in photovoltaics: Ionic Liquids for new class of solar cells

15 Oct 2007 - G24 Innovations Limited (G24i) and BASF have announced a joint development agreement. The two companies will initiate a program to develop ionic liquids and formulations that further improve both performance and efficiency of G24i's solar cells using a proprietary dye-sensitized thin film technology.
 
The photovoltaic cells produced by G24i are sensitive to far more of the visible spectrum of light than conventional solar cells, so that all sorts of light sources can be used to generate power, even at relatively low levels of light intensity. The photovoltaic process used is roughly analogous to photosynthesis in plants: a special ruthenium dye assumes the role of chlorophyll, turning light into electrical energy in a chemical process. Specifically adapted to the electrode and dye system, the ionic liquids are key to ensuring that the solar cell will generate power in a reliable and stable manner.
 
G24i's dye-sensitized thin film technology is based on solar cells originally developed by Dr. Michael Graetzel of the Swiss Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Solar cells and products developed using this technology are lightweight, durable and ideal for integration or embedding into a wide range of products. G24i is developing solar products to power a range of portable electronics such as mobile telephones but also examines the use in smart textiles and building-integrated materials.
 
BASF is manufacturing ionic liquids - salts which are liquid below 100°C - that are suitable for use across a broad range of different applications ranging from processing chemicals and polymers, to engineering liquids like hydraulic liquids or lubricants, to uses in electro-chemistry.