Researchers have developed a ‘solar paint’ that could one day replace solar cells and make renewable energy much cheaper. Electrical comapnies in the westend Glasgow
The paste, which is made of hi-tech 'quantum dots', can be put onto any surface and produce electricity from the sun.
The dots are semiconducting crystals which are between two and 10 nanometres in diameter and are mixed into dye that looks like normal paint.
In tests they were just one per cent efficient, less than one 10th the efficiency of a standard solar cell, but the researchers are convinced that rate will improve in the future.
The paint has prompted speculation it could one day be applied to the side of homes to turn the entire property into a giant hi-tech 'sun trap'.
Solar energy has long been championed as a solution to the growing energy crisis, but it is expensive.
A typical home needs around 285 square feet of solar panels to meet its electricity needs, costing around £10,000, although that does not include the expensive installation.
Those who wish to use energy guzzling devices like an air conditioner might have to pay even more.
University of Notre Dame scientists used nano-sized particles of titanium oxide and covered them in either cadmium sulphide or cadmium selenide. Landlord Certificates Glasgow
The paste was created by putting this into a mixture of water and alcohol.
When it was put onto a conducting material and light was shone onto it, the scientists noticed that electricity was generated.
The discovery has been praised because it is so simple to set up and required little more than a paint brush, office tape and a heat gun to make it work.
Lead researcher Prashant Kamat, a professor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry at Notre Dame's Center for Nano Science and Technology, said: ‘We want to do something transformative, to move beyond current silicon-based solar technology.
Power is generated by semiconducting crystals which are between two and 10 nanometres in diameter - and are mixed into dye that looks like normal paint
‘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.’
He added: ‘The goal is to prepare a solar paint that has long shelf life.‘In our laboratories we have tested the performance for a few days to a week, and we find it stable as long as it is stored in the dark.
Additional tests are underway to investigate long-term stability of paints with different compositions.’
