Tofu Ingredient Could Make Solar Cells Greener

Jun-30-14 An ingredient used in the production of tofu may be able to replace an extremely toxic and expensive component of thin film solar cells.

Currently, manufacturing thin film solar cells requires the use of cadmium chloride, a toxic material that is both dangerous to work with and requires a specialized disposal method. However, the material is also extremely effective at boosting the efficiency of even the cheapest thin film solar cells.

To create a greener alternative to cadmium chloride, Dr. Jon Major of the University of Liverpool has proposed the idea of replacing the toxic material with magnesium chloride, which can be extracted from seawater. Magnesium chloride is already being used in common products, including bath salts and tofu, and, according to Dr. Major, the material can be applied using an off-the-shelf spray gun rather than a special lab-based 'fume cupboard.' Additionally, magnesium chloride costs only $0.0001 per gram, instead of the $0.3 per gram for cadmium chloride, and has shown to be equally as effective.

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