Solar cells have the ability to regenerate light.

A new material used to make solar cells can not only convert light into electricity but also regenerate, emitting light to be reabsorbed again.

Solar panels. Photo: Reuters

Business Insiderreport leadA study published in the journal Science on March 17 said that a hybrid material between lead halide (a salt of lead and a halogen element - Chlorine, Fluorine, Bromine, Iodine) and perovskite ore (CaTiO3) has the ability to absorb sunlight, create electrically charged particles and then emit light on its own.

"We knew that this material was very good at absorbing light and generating charge carriers," said study co-author Dr. Felix Deschler, of the University of Cambridge, UK. "We also showed that it can regenerate photons of light."

Solar cells work by absorbing light energy – photons – transferring this energy into electrically charged particles and creating an electric current.

Lead halide-perovskite hybrid batteries have long been known for their excellent energy conversion efficiency, but Deschler's team also demonstrated that perovskites can actually emit light after the process to be reabsorbed again.

As a result, these cells act as concentrators, capable of generating more energy, increasing the voltage to a higher level with a given light source, compared to materials that are not capable of recycling light.

"Current solar cell efficiency is around 20–21%, while the theoretical maximum efficiency is 33%. Our research may open a way to achieve that efficiency,"Deschler said.

The efficiency of a solar cell is the percentage of light energy it can convert into electricity. According to the theoretical thermodynamics calculations in 1961 by William Shockley and Hans Queisser, the limit of this efficiency is 33%.

According to researchers, this material is not only highly efficient but also easy to produce, low cost, and has the potential for commercialization.

“You wouldn’t believe that it can reproduce light, because it’s so simple to make compared to others,” says Deschler. “Our material is also very cheap and versatile.”

Current solar cell manufacturing processes require control over the formation of material structures.Impurities mixed into the crystal structure will leave a "defective region" in the material, reducing its ability to absorb light. But the new material is an exception to this rule.

"We are trying to understand why this material performs better than others,"Deschler said.

The researchers hope to attract interest from solar panel manufacturers looking for a cheaper, more efficient way to harness this energy source.

According to VNE