The scientific publication Advanced Functional Materials reports on a discovery made by scientists from the Institute for Open and Interdisciplinary Science Initiatives at Osaka University (Japan) that could change the future of solar panels and solar energy.
The researchers found that solar panels made from an antimony sulfide composite change their output voltage as the wavelength of the incident light changes.
While experimenting with photovoltaic devices, they noticed an interesting photovoltaic effect – the generated voltage changed when the type of light waves was switched.
In particular, when switching to ultraviolet light, the output voltage decreased, but the current remained at the same level. As the lead author of the study Resuke Nishikubo noted, the effect is related to the material from which the solar panels are made.
“You won’t be able to get that voltage change if you use silicon or perovskite-based panels,” the researcher said.
The discovered effect can be used in alternative energy and devices such as steam detectors. In addition, the discovery may affect the development of technologies related to light recognition.