New material approach should increase solar cell efficiency

(Phys.org) —A University of Illinois research group brought together aspects of condensed matter physics, semiconductor device engineering, and photochemistry to develop a new form of high-performance solar photocatalyst ...

Diamond as a building material for optical circuits

The application of light for information processing opens up a multitude of possibilities. However, to be able to adequately use photons in circuits and sensors, materials need to have particular optical and mechanical properties. ...

Ubiquitous Energy sets focus on solar cell technology

(Phys.org)—Can windows, tablets and e readers turn light into power? Can a surface coated with solar cells take sunlight and the glow of bulbs and change them into energy? As reported in Technology Review, expert scientists ...

A spiral galaxy with a secret

(Phys.org)—The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope – with a little help from an amateur astronomer – has produced one of the best views yet of nearby spiral galaxy Messier 106. Located a little over 20 million light-years ...

Herschel confirms the origin of cosmic dust

(Phys.org)—The Herschel space observatory has produced an intricate view of the remains of a star that died in a stellar explosion a millennium ago. It has provided further proof that the interstellar dust which lies throughout ...

Explosive origins for cosmic dust

(Phys.org)—The European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory has produced an intricate view of the remains of a star that died in a stellar explosion a millennium ago. This new view provides further proof that the ...

First-ever hyperspectral images of Earth's auroras

Hoping to expand our understanding of auroras and other fleeting atmospheric events, a team of space-weather researchers designed and built NORUSCA II, a new camera with unprecedented capabilities that can simultaneously ...

Metal oxides hold the key to cheap, green energy

Harnessing the energy of sunlight can be as simple as tuning the optical and electronic properties of metal oxides at the atomic level by making an artificial crystal or super-lattice 'sandwich' says a Binghamton University ...

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