A new material has been developed by Singapore researchers that could lead to touch and display screens doubling up as solar panels. According to the team, in the future mobile phones might be recharged simply by exposing them to sunlight. The team, from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), has based its research on perovskite, a material that glows when electricity passes through it and which can be customised to emit different colours. NTU physicist, Sum Tze Chein said most solar cell materials are good at absorbing light, but are generally not expected to generate light. "What we have discovered is that, because it is a high quality material and very durable under light exposure, it can capture light particles and covert them to electricity, or vice versa. 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 a flat screen display." Research partner assistant Prof Nripan Mathews said: "What we have is a solar cell material that can be made semi translucent. It can be used as tinted glass to replace current windows, yet can generate electricity from sunlight." the perovskite material - for which the team has submitted a patent application - is said to be five times cheaper to manufacture than silicon based solar cells.
