Researchers have found the first time quantum confined bandgap narrowing mechanism so you can easily extend the UV absorption of quantum graph points and TiO2 nanoparticles within the visible light.
This may allow him to design a new class of composite materials for light harvesting and optoelectronics.
Dr Chen says Lee, Associate Professor in environmental engineering & Queensland micro and nano technology center, will apply real life high efficiency solar cells paintable and purify water using sunlight.
Says: "where there is an abundance of Sun we can brush on this nanomaterial to harvest solar energy create clean water."
"This mechanism can be very important to harvest light. What is most important to come up with an easy way to accomplish that, make UV absorption of visible light absorption becomes narrow bandgab. "
Visible light makes constitute 43 per cent of solar energy, compared to only 5 per cent owned by UV.
Substantial efforts have been made to improve absorption in Titania visible light or visible light sensitive materials in General.
Methods used in Titania, including doping metal ion, carbon and nitrogen doping doping and hydrogenation typically require strict conditions for the modified TiO2 like high temperature or high pressure.
Innovative paper published in chemical communications "," a "Royal Society for Chemistry, the researchers noted that when mixing TiO2 particles with quantum dots Graphene, the resulting compound absorbs visible light by quantum confined bandgap narrowing.
"We were really excited to discover this: when two UV absorption of quantum dots are seen Graphene and TiO2, were mixed together, they began to absorb in the visible range, and most importantly, can be tuned in bandgab quantum dots size Graphene," says Dr Lee.
"We named the phenomenon ' narrow bandgap ' limited quantity this mechanism can apply to all semiconductors, quantum points when combined with Graphene. Flexible adjustment of bandgab very desirable in semiconductor-based devices. "
This work has been selected feature in front inside cover of "chemical communications. Also has emerged a group travel from Graphene quantum dots recently in nanotechnology.
