ForestSolarCells - Revision history

Oborn: /* Current measurements */

2008-03-09T22:35:36Z

Current measurements

Oborn: /* Aparatus */

2008-03-09T22:08:53Z

Aparatus

Oborn: /* Current measurements */

2008-03-09T22:01:19Z

Current measurements

Oborn: /* Aparatus */

2008-03-09T21:57:24Z

Aparatus

Oborn: /* Aparatus */

2008-03-09T21:56:21Z

Aparatus

Oborn: /* What is a solar cell */

2008-03-09T21:29:39Z

What is a solar cell

Oborn: /* Making Cuprous Oxide */

2008-03-09T21:00:54Z

Making Cuprous Oxide

Oborn: /* Aparatus */

2008-03-09T20:58:41Z

Aparatus

Oborn: /* Current measurements */

2008-03-09T19:59:53Z

Current measurements

Oborn: /* Current measurements */

2008-03-09T19:57:00Z

Current measurements

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 [[Image:DiffData_2-8-08.jpg | 200 px]]
-I also noticed during this experiment that the current would increase if I lifted the cuprous oxide sheet our of the water until only about 1 cm of it was still in the water.  The graph below shows that the current increase by about 4 <math>\mu</math>A if I moved the curpous oxide sheet such that only 1 cm was in the water.  I did not see the same thing happen if I moved the copper sheet out.
+I also noticed during this experiment that the current would increase if I lifted the cuprous oxide sheet out of the water until only about 1 cm of it was still in the water.  The graph below shows that the current increase by about 4 <math>\mu</math>A if I moved the cuprous oxide sheet such that only 1 cm was in the water.  I did not see the same thing happen if I moved the copper sheet out.
 [[Image:ImersedIn1cmData_2-8-08.jpg | 200 px]]

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 =Aparatus=
-A 2 liter plastic container, an ammeter, wire leads, and water were used to measure the current produced by the cupric oxide solar cell.  The plastic container was filled with 1.8 Liters of water.  A copper sheet, which was not heated, was placed on one side of the container and the copper sheet with cupric oxide was placed on the opposite side.  The positive lead of the ammeter was connected to the cupric oxide sheet and the ground of the ammeter was connected to the plain copper sheet.  The current was measured by the ammeter under direct sunlight and sunlight blocked by a curtain.  Several measurements were made using different amount of salt ranging from 0 to 10 teaspoon.
+A 2 liter plastic container, an ammeter, wire leads, and water were used to measure the current produced by the cupric oxide solar cell.  The plastic container was filled with 1.8 Liters of water.  A copper sheet, which was not heated, was placed on one side of the container and the copper sheet with cupric oxide was placed on the opposite side.  The positive lead of the ammeter was connected to the cupric oxide sheet and the ground of the ammeter was connected to the plain copper sheet.  The current was measured by the ammeter under direct sunlight and sunlight blocked by a curtain.  Several measurements were made using different amount of salt ranging from 0 to 10 teaspoons.
 [[Image:SolarCellApparatus_3-8-08.jpg | 200 px]]

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 [[Image:RawData_2-8-08.jpg | 200 px]]
-The graph below shows the average current measured from sunlight after subtracting out the current measured with the sunlight blocked.  The subtraction of the blocked sunlight current resulted in a current measurement which was repeatable.  The vertical lines one each point represent the fluctuation in the measured current.  The points show a clear non-zero current is being made by the solar cell.  Other people have seen values between 6 and 50 <math>\mu</math>A (see http://scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/echem/echem2.html).  It is also difficult to see any dependence on the amount of salt put into the water.
+The graph below shows the average current measured from sunlight after subtracting out the current measured with the sunlight blocked.  The subtraction of the blocked sunlight current resulted in a current measurement which was repeatable.  The vertical lines on each point represent the fluctuation in the measured current.  The points show a clear non-zero current is being made by the solar cell.  Other people have seen values between 6 and 50 <math>\mu</math>A (see http://scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/echem/echem2.html).  It is also difficult to see any dependence on the amount of salt put into the water.
 [[Image:DiffData_2-8-08.jpg | 200 px]]

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 =Aparatus=
-A 2 liter plastic container, an ammeter, wire leads, and water were used to measure the current produced by the cupric oxide solar cell.  The plastic container was filled with 1.8 Liters of water.  A copper sheet, which was not heated, was placed on one side of the container and the copper sheet with cupric oxide was placed on the opposite side.  The positive lead of the ammeter was connected to the cupric oxide sheet and the ground of the ammeter was connected to the plain copper sheet.  The current was measured by the ammeter under the conditions of direct sunlight and sunlight blocked by a curtain.  Several measurements were made using different amount of salt ranging from 0 to 10 teaspoon.
+A 2 liter plastic container, an ammeter, wire leads, and water were used to measure the current produced by the cupric oxide solar cell.  The plastic container was filled with 1.8 Liters of water.  A copper sheet, which was not heated, was placed on one side of the container and the copper sheet with cupric oxide was placed on the opposite side.  The positive lead of the ammeter was connected to the cupric oxide sheet and the ground of the ammeter was connected to the plain copper sheet.  The current was measured by the ammeter under direct sunlight and sunlight blocked by a curtain.  Several measurements were made using different amount of salt ranging from 0 to 10 teaspoon.
 [[Image:SolarCellApparatus_3-8-08.jpg | 200 px]]

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 =Aparatus=
-A 2 liter plastic container, an ammeter, wire leads, and water were used to measure the current produced by the cupric oxide solar cell.  The plastic container was filled with 1.8 Liters of water.  A coper sheet, which was not heated, was placed on one side of the container and the copper sheet with cupric oxide was placed on the opposite side.  The positive lead of the ammeter was connected to the cupric oxide sheet and the ground of the ammeter was connected to the plain copper sheet.  The current was measured by the ammeter under the conditions of direct sunlight and sunlight blocked by a curtain.  Several measurements were made using different amount of salt ranging from 0 to 10 teaspoon.
+A 2 liter plastic container, an ammeter, wire leads, and water were used to measure the current produced by the cupric oxide solar cell.  The plastic container was filled with 1.8 Liters of water.  A copper sheet, which was not heated, was placed on one side of the container and the copper sheet with cupric oxide was placed on the opposite side.  The positive lead of the ammeter was connected to the cupric oxide sheet and the ground of the ammeter was connected to the plain copper sheet.  The current was measured by the ammeter under the conditions of direct sunlight and sunlight blocked by a curtain.  Several measurements were made using different amount of salt ranging from 0 to 10 teaspoon.
 [[Image:SolarCellApparatus_3-8-08.jpg | 200 px]]

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-= What is a solar cell=
+= What is a solar cell ?=
 Solar cells are designed to convert light into electricity.  They do this without the use of either chemical  reactions or moving parts. Modern solar cells are based on semiconductors, a material whose electrical properties lie between conductors and insulators.  In a conductor, electric current can flow freely.  Electric current can't flow freely in an insulator.  Light hitting a semiconductor solar cell pushes electrons out of the semiconductor making an electric current we can use.  The first material known to behave as a semiconductor was Cuprous Oxide <math>(Cu_2O)</math> and was used as early as 1924.  Descriptions of how to make a solar cell using Cupric Oxide suggest putting the copper sheets in a salt water solution.  I wanted to know if the amount of salt used changed the amount of current you could get.
 Does salt change the amount of current?
-−
 =Materials I needed=

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 =Making Cuprous Oxide =
-Cuprous oxide <math>(Cu_2O)</math> can be easily made by heating thin sheets of copper.  Heating the copper causes the formation of both cuprous oxide and cupric oxide <math>(CuO)</math>. Cupric oxide has one Copper atom attached to one Oxygen atom and is not what we want.  Underneath the dark black cupric oxide is cuprous oxide which has two Copper atoms attached to one Oxygen atom..  Cuprous oxide looks reddish.  I first tried to make cuprous oxide using the top burner on an electric stove.  As the copper sheet heated is changed color until it was all black on the surface.  As it cooled off the black cupric oxide fell off revealing some reddish cupric oxide underneath.  I did not see a lot of the reddish cuprous oxide formed.  I decided to use an oven to heat the copper sheet more evenly
+Cuprous oxide <math>(Cu_2O)</math> can be easily made by heating thin sheets of copper.  Heating the copper causes the formation of both cuprous oxide and cupric oxide <math>(CuO)</math>. Cupric oxide has one Copper atom attached to one Oxygen atom and is not what we want.  Underneath the dark black cupric oxide is cuprous oxide which has two Copper atoms attached to one Oxygen atom..  Cuprous oxide looks reddish.  I first tried to make cuprous oxide using the top burner on an electric stove.  As the copper sheet heated it changed color until it was all black on the surface.  As it cooled off the black cupric oxide fell off revealing some reddish cupric oxide underneath.  I did not see a lot of the reddish cuprous oxide formed.  I decided to use an oven to heat the copper sheet more evenly
 and at a high temperature (500 celsius).  This time I saw a lot of the reddish cuprous oxide.

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:59, 9 March 2008
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		+
		+	=Conclusions=
		+
		+	#I was unable to see the current change if I added 0 to 10 teaspoon of salt to 1.8 L of water.
		+	#I was the current increase if I only put the cuprous oxide sheet 1 cm into the water.
		+	#I was able to make more cuprous oxide using an oven than a stove top

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:57, 9 March 2008
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		+
		+	I also noticed during this experiment that the current would increase if I lifted the cuprous oxide sheet our of the water until only about 1 cm of it was still in the water. The graph below shows that the current increase by about 4 <math>\mu</math>A if I moved the curpous oxide sheet such that only 1 cm was in the water. I did not see the same thing happen if I moved the copper sheet out.

	[[Image:ImersedIn1cmData_2-8-08.jpg \| 200 px]]		[[Image:ImersedIn1cmData_2-8-08.jpg \| 200 px]]