Licho

Does anyone knows a recipe for a #punkcell, DIY #photovoltaic cell, that would be doable from local, ethically sourced materials?

I've been looking into dye-sensitized solar cells and Organic solar cells.

A bunch of ideas:

It's easy to make poly acetylene at home. Just soak PVC in lye over night. It's unstable but you can quickly electroplate it with some thin metal layer and you've made yourself a substrate. You'd then add some titanium oxide and paint it with sulphonated casein, which is another conductive polymer. I think you can make it by curdling milk with sulfuric acid, but idk.

Shape it as a leaf, attach two cables, join many leaves together. Hang the #solarivy on the wall.

You made yourself some #PunkoVoltaics

#SolarpunkSunday

Jun 21 at 10:34pmWeb
Show threadLichoJun 21

Recipe idea 2

1. Paint transparent PVC cement on some aluminum foil, both sides. Wait for it to cure, leave a piece unpainted.
2. Soak the painted par in sodium hydroxide to turn PVC cement into polyacetylene.
3. Electroplate it with a thin layer of copper or something.
4. Cut some leaves out of it, the unpainted part is one electrode, the painted and electroplated is the second electrode.

#punkovoltaics #solarpunk #SolarPunkSunday

Show threadAcmeworksJun 22

@licho You probably know this one?

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2021/10/how-to-build-a-low-tech-solar-panel/

Anyway, you're doing phantastic stuff

How to Build a Low-tech Solar Panel?

George Cove, a forgotten solar power pioneer, may have built a highly efficient photovoltaic panel 40 years before Bell Labs engineers invented silicon cells. If proven to work, his design could lead to less complex and more sustainable solar panels.

LOW←TECH MAGAZINE
Show threadLichoJun 22
@acmeworks thanks! I didn't know about it. Will read in details :)
Show threadnotsoloudJun 22

@licho
If you can source some TiO2 you can make these pretty punkily with fruit juice and whatnot. Unfortunately they wear out faster than most punks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye-sensitized_solar_cell

Dye-sensitized solar cell - Wikipedia

Show threadLichoJun 22
@notsoloud yeah, I saw a guy on yt make them, he faked it though because he used soot instead of graphite and it couldn't have worked