Slim and Sturdy Solar Cells: Nanocrystals offer path to electricity

Engineers have for years been developing solar cells made of inexpensive plastic, but the devices have limitations. For instance, the cells’ short lifetimes when exposed to sunlight have prevented these inventions from getting beyond the prototype phase. Now, researchers describe a solar cell made of thin films of inorganic nanocrystals that have several of the advantages of plastic but avoid some of its shortcomings.