U.S. scientists believe they have removed one of the last obstacles to commercializing a more efficient and cheaper solar panel made from an alternative material to silicon called perovskite.
美國科學家認為，他們已經消除了實現更高效、更便宜的太陽能電池板商業化的最後障礙之一，這種太陽能電池板由一種名為鈣鈦礦的替代材料製成，稱為鈣鈦礦。
The breakthrough came from using “off-the-shelf” materials to prevent the lead that is used in the light-absorbing layer of the panels from leaking into the environment.
這一突破來自於使用“現成的”材料，以防止用於太陽能電池板的光吸收層的鉛洩漏到環境中。
The danger of lead poisoning was viewed as “one of the most vexing, last-mile challenges” facing the development of perovskite panels, explained Kai Zhu, a senior scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo.
位於科羅拉多州戈爾德市的國家可再生能源實驗室(NREL)的高級科學家朱凱解釋說，鉛中毒的危險被視為鈣鈦礦電池板開發面臨的“最令人煩惱的最後挑戰之一”。
Scientists estimate that the panels are three to five years away from commercial use, which could be widespread because the lead used in them helps raise their power to extract electrical energy from sunlight to close to 25%, higher than most commercially available silicon panels.
科學家們估計，這些電池板距離商業應用還有三到五年的時間，這可能會得到廣泛的應用，因為這些電池板中使用的鉛有助於將其從太陽光中提取電能的能力提高到接近25%，高於大多數商業上可用的硅電池板。
Researchers at NREL and Northern Illinois University (NIU) developed coatings for the front and back of test panels.
NREL和北伊利諾伊大學(NIU)的研究人員開發了測試板正面和背面的塗料。
After damaging both sides of the panels and then subjecting them to simulated heavy rain, they found that the films bonded with the lead, keeping more than 96% of it from leaking into the environment.
在損壞面板的兩側，然後讓它們經受模擬大雨後，他們發現薄膜與鉛結合在一起，使96%以上的鉛不會洩漏到環境中。
“The materials are off the shelf, but they were never used for this purpose,” explained Tao Xu, a professor of chemistry at NIU in DeKalb, Ill.
“這些材料是現成的，但它們從來沒有被用於這個目的，”伊利諾伊州德卡布市NIU的化學教授陶旭解釋說。
“Light must enter the cell to be absorbed by the perovskite layer, and the front-side film actually acts as an anti-reflecting agent, improving transparency just a bit.”
“光必須進入細胞才能被鈣鈦礦層吸收，而正面薄膜實際上起到了抗反射劑的作用，只提高了一點點透明度。”
Xu predicted the coatings might be a “game changer” for the potential commercial appeal of the solar panels because their use on homes and in fields is expected to last around 25 years.
徐預測，這種塗料可能是太陽能電池板潛在商業吸引力的“遊戲改變者”，因為它們在家庭和田野中的使用預計將持續25年左右。
The toxicity of lead leaching into groundwater from the panels could have reduced their appeal to consumers, despite their increased efficiency.
從面板向地下水中浸出鉛的毒性可能降低了它們對消費者的吸引力，儘管它們的效率有所提高。
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