The compound CdTe has different qualities than the two elements, cadmium and tellurium, taken separately. Ingredient: Cadmium Telluride. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a stable crystalline compound formed from cadmium and tellurium. It is mainly used as the semiconducting material in cadmium telluride photovoltaics and an infrared optical window. This nomination is strongly supported by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and First Solar Inc. CdTe is used as an infrared optical material for optical windows and lenses and is proven to provide a good performance across a wide range of temperatures. The material has the potential for widespread applications in photovoltaic energy generation that will involve extensive human interfaces. It’s harmful if swallowed, and is very toxic to aquatic life. At the present time, the price of the raw materials cadmium and tellurium are a negligible proportion of the cost of CdTe solar cells and other CdTe devices. First Solar’s efforts to demonstrate the safety of its technology followed ongoing efforts to demonstrate the opportunity in solar power plant development. Acute Toxicity: LC50 inhalation - rat – 2.71 mg/L. CAS names. Based on notification of these results to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), CdTe is no longer classified as harmful if ingested nor harmful in contact with skin, and the toxicity classification to aquatic life has been reduced. Once properly and securely captured and encapsulated, CdTe used in manufacturing processes may be rendered harmless. It reacts with acids to make toxic cadmium compounds and toxic hydrogen telluride gas. Others seemed convinced. Uses. Cadmium Telluride Quantum Dots are charged aqueous soluble nano crystals with narrow emission spectra from 490 nm to 740 nm. The CdTe solar cell market is dominated by First Solar. It is usually sandwiched with cadmium sulfide to form a p-n junction solar PV cell. 1043877-50-4. Exposure can cause lung, kidney or liver pathology or failure. CdTe has low acute inhalation, oral, and aquatic toxicity, and is negative in the Ames mutagenicity test. First Solar is the world-record holder for CdTe thin film module (14.4%) and cell (18.7%) efficiency, and backs their solar panels with a limited 25-year power output warranty. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have found that large-scale use of CdTe PV modules does not present any risks to health and the environment, and recycling the modules at the end of their useful life completely resolves any environmental concerns. CAS number: 1306-25-8. But the way it is encapsulated in glass in First Solar panels, Sinha said, sharply limits the possibility of inhalation or ingestion exposure. It does not dissolve in water. It is highly suitable for solar energy conversion. The leading thin-film technology, based on a sandwich of cadmium telluride and cadmium sulfide (CdTe/CdS), makes up between 5 and 7 percent of the solar power market. “Like the MBTE problem,” another councilman added. "An industrial laminate material, ethyl vinyl acetate, a type of plastic, encapsulates the semiconductor and seals it between a second piece of glass.”. Ingestion or inhalation of cadmium/cadmium compounds may be fatal. 24 Cadmium telluride is a very stable compound that is non-volatile and non-soluble in water. Cadmium is very toxic and its compounds are classified as harmful (such as cadmium telluride), toxic (eg cadmium sulphide) or very toxic (cadmium oxide); there is also a reasonable suspicion of a carcinogenic effect in humans. In this study, we evaluated the toxicity of CdTe QDs of different sizes and investigated their mechanism of toxicity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . And First Solar’s real-world experience with the panels, he added, is even less than that. It can be made into nanocrystals. It is a waste byproduct coming from smelting, mining, and refining sulfidic ores of zinc. In 2011, around 2 GWp of CdTe solar cells were produced; For more details and discussion see cadmium telluride photovoltaics. CdTe Quantum Dots have the widest wavelength range reaching sizes as small as less then 500 nm; within the range sufficient to emit light in the blue-white range. Through improved material efficiency and increased PV recycling systems, the CdTe PV industry has the potential to fully rely on tellurium from recycled end-of-life modules by 2038. Freeing the CdTe from the laminate is the biggest challenge of recycling, Sinha said. Cadmium use is generally decreasing because it is toxic (it is specifically listed in the European Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) and nickel-cadmium batteries have been replaced with nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries. CdTe has low acute inhalation, oral, and aquatic toxicity, and is negative in the Ames mutagenicity test. The compound CdTe has different qualities than the two elements, cadmium and tellurium, taken separately. Typically, CdTe PV cells use a n-i-p structure. The company Solyndra, now bankrupt, was one of the few companies that attempted to bring CIGS cells into mainstream use. Name test substance: CdTe supplied by 5N Plus Inc (Montreal, Canada) Synonyms: Cadmium Telluride Batch No. Older photovoltaics have set a developmental precedent, yet don’t share these properties. It can be made into nanocrystals. “I majored in common sense,” one email correspondent noted, admitting to no scientific education. 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