Imagine if the next coat of paint you put on the outside of your home
generates electricity from light -- electricity that can
be used to power the appliances and equipment on
the inside. A team of researchers at the
University of Notre Dame has
made a major advance toward
this vision by creating an
inexpensive "solar paint" that
uses semiconducting nanoparticles to produce
energy. "We want to do something
transformative, to move
beyond current silicon-based
solar technology," says
Prashant Kamat, John A. Zahm
Professor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry
and an investigator in Notre
Dame's Center for Nano Science
and Technology (NDnano),
who leads the research. "By incorporating power-
producing nanoparticles, called quantum dots, into a spreadable compound, we've
made a one-coat solar paint that can be applied to
any conductive surface without special equipment." The team's search for the new material, described in
the journal ACS Nano, centered on nano-sized
particles of titanium dioxide, which were coated
with either cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide.
The particles were then suspended in a water-
alcohol mixture to create a paste. When the paste was brushed onto a transparent
conducting material and exposed to light, it created
electricity. "The best light-to-energy conversion efficiency
we've reached so far is 1 percent, which is well
behind the usual 10 to 15 percent efficiency of
commercial silicon solar cells," explains Kamat. "But this paint can be made cheaply and in large
quantities. If we can improve the efficiency
somewhat, we may be able to make a real difference
in meeting energy needs in the future." "That's why we've christened the new paint, Sun-
Believable," he adds. Kamat and his team also plan to study ways to
improve the stability of the new material. NDnano is one of the leading nanotechnology
centers in the world. Its mission is to study and
manipulate the properties of materials and devices,
as well as their interfaces with living systems, at the
nano-scale. This research was funded by the Department of
Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
generates electricity from light -- electricity that can
be used to power the appliances and equipment on
the inside. A team of researchers at the
University of Notre Dame has
made a major advance toward
this vision by creating an
inexpensive "solar paint" that
uses semiconducting nanoparticles to produce
energy. "We want to do something
transformative, to move
beyond current silicon-based
solar technology," says
Prashant Kamat, John A. Zahm
Professor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry
and an investigator in Notre
Dame's Center for Nano Science
and Technology (NDnano),
who leads the research. "By incorporating power-
producing nanoparticles, called quantum dots, into a spreadable compound, we've
made a one-coat solar paint that can be applied to
any conductive surface without special equipment." The team's search for the new material, described in
the journal ACS Nano, centered on nano-sized
particles of titanium dioxide, which were coated
with either cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide.
The particles were then suspended in a water-
alcohol mixture to create a paste. When the paste was brushed onto a transparent
conducting material and exposed to light, it created
electricity. "The best light-to-energy conversion efficiency
we've reached so far is 1 percent, which is well
behind the usual 10 to 15 percent efficiency of
commercial silicon solar cells," explains Kamat. "But this paint can be made cheaply and in large
quantities. If we can improve the efficiency
somewhat, we may be able to make a real difference
in meeting energy needs in the future." "That's why we've christened the new paint, Sun-
Believable," he adds. Kamat and his team also plan to study ways to
improve the stability of the new material. NDnano is one of the leading nanotechnology
centers in the world. Its mission is to study and
manipulate the properties of materials and devices,
as well as their interfaces with living systems, at the
nano-scale. This research was funded by the Department of
Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
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