Capturing light in an efficient dye trap
Friday, May 10, 2013 - 08:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Chemical compounds that can efficiently capture and convert light energy are in high demand as key components of inexpensive solar cells and advanced optical sensors. Carbon-based organic dyes are particularly strong candidates for such applications due to their low cost compared with the conventionally used silicon, but the lackluster performance of organic dyes has so far hindered their uptake by industry. Shuichi Enomoto, Shinichiro Kamino and colleagues at the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies have now discovered an organic dye that overcomes one of the major hurdles of this promising technology.