Interestingly, yes. One of the most efficient compounds used to capture solar energy is chalcopyrite—aka CIGS—comprising the metals, copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. A 1–2-micron layer of chalcopyrite CuInxGa1−xSe2 can efficiently capture the same number of photons as a layer of silicon 50 microns thick. Via Two Sides, researchers at Oregon State University managed to develop an inkjet ink that is able to print chalcopyrite onto appropriate substrates “with a power conversion efficiency of about 5 percent. The OSU researchers say that with continued research they should be able to achieve an efficiency of about 12 percent, which would make a commercially viable solar cell.” The primary advantages of an inkjet approach to depositing CIGS on substrates are less waste and lower costs; in the current vapor phase deposition, most of the actual material being deposited is wasted—and the process is expensive. The paper describing this process is published in the latest issue of the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells.