Capturing solar energy is now a simple task: you install the solar panels , connect the wires in the right places and wait for the sunrise to start the thrilling adventure. But if the scientists at the University of Notre Dame continue your search in the future as much as we need to do is spend a coat of paint where we want to capture light to generate energy.
The scientists, led by double Prashant Kamat and John A. Zahm of the Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University, announced this week the development of a special ink that can capture sunlight and convert it into energy. They achieved this by mixing nanoparticles of titanium dioxide with sulphide or cadmium selenide, which are compounds that absorb two photons. They applied the paint in a transparent and conductive surface, exposed to the sun and could thus get electricity.
Except that there are still twists and turns left, especially on the question of efficiency. According to scientists, they can only capture and turn into electricity 1% of sunlight captured. In contrast, the solar panels can common 10 to 15% conversion. Even so, they ensure that the manufacture of paint is relatively inexpensive and could be mass produced with little trouble.
Another detail is the combination of colors. They got the best conversion efficiency with a combination of elements that generated a light brown ink. I have no problem with having a house that color in exchange for a discount on the bill, but I understand that there are people who may not enjoy it the idea of color of a house with sewage.
The scientists, led by double Prashant Kamat and John A. Zahm of the Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University, announced this week the development of a special ink that can capture sunlight and convert it into energy. They achieved this by mixing nanoparticles of titanium dioxide with sulphide or cadmium selenide, which are compounds that absorb two photons. They applied the paint in a transparent and conductive surface, exposed to the sun and could thus get electricity.
Except that there are still twists and turns left, especially on the question of efficiency. According to scientists, they can only capture and turn into electricity 1% of sunlight captured. In contrast, the solar panels can common 10 to 15% conversion. Even so, they ensure that the manufacture of paint is relatively inexpensive and could be mass produced with little trouble.
Another detail is the combination of colors. They got the best conversion efficiency with a combination of elements that generated a light brown ink. I have no problem with having a house that color in exchange for a discount on the bill, but I understand that there are people who may not enjoy it the idea of color of a house with sewage.
