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Chemist Paul Alivisatos's pioneering research into tiny nanocrystals and nanorods is paying off in big ways. Chemically-pure clusters of anywhere from 100 to 100,000 atoms, Alivisatos's nanocystals and nanorods have myriad applications that impact the macroworld -- from tagging biological samples for genetic analysis and drug discovery to the creation of plastic solar cells that can be painted onto any surface. Alivisatos's latest small tech innovation nanotechnology is potentially a giant leap in solar energy. Several months ago, the group reported a technique to make flexible solar cells that could someday provide power for next-generation mobile phones, handheld computers, and wearable electronics. The first prototypes boast efficiencies of 1.7 percent. This means that they can only convert 1.7 percent of the energy they receive from the sun into electricity, far less than the 10 percent efficiency of today's commercial photovoltaics. The contributions of Alivisatos and his colleague Eicke Weber hold the promise to drop the cost of solar cells by an order of magnitude, with a related movement away from poly-crystalline silicon to amorphous silicon, plastic, and organic cells.

Eicke Weber and his team use techniques like electron microscopy and laser spectroscopy - enabled by UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's state-of-the-art arsenal of nanotechnological tools - to better understand how the structure and chemistry of the quantum wells may affect the efficiency and brightness of the light generated by the LEDs. Professor Eicke Weber and his students also research new materials to improve photovoltaics or solar cells. He is author or co-author of more than 500 refereed publications in journals and conference proceedings; has presented 51 invited talks at international conferences; is editor or co-editor of six books as well as being co-editor of the series “Materials Processing” (Springer, 1998-2002) and of the series "Semiconductors and Semimetals" (Academic Press 1991).