An overachieving material known as Perovskite could act as a
solar cell by day, light source by night, scientists have found.
In an exciting solar breakthrough, scientists have
discovered that a material known as Perovskite is not only capable of
converting sunlight into electricity, it also emits its own light source.
The discovery was published in Nature Materials this week,
and could lead to shop front signs, lamps and even mobile devices and tablets
that soak up power from the Sun during the day and then light up at night.
The researchers from Nanyang Technological University in
Singapore found that Perovskite, which was already one of the most promising
materials for creating high-efficiency, cheap solar cells, is also highly
suited for making lasers of different frequencies. The material is five times
cheaper than current silicon-based solar cells.
In a press release, physicist Sum Tze Chien explained that
he made the disovery by chance when he asked his postdoc Xing Guichuan to shine
a laser on a new hybrid Perovskite solar cells they're currently developing and
they started glowing brightly.
“By tuning the composition of the material, we can make it
emit a wide range of colours, which also makes it suitable as a light emitting
device, such as flat screen displays.”
