The use of smart devices such as smart speakers and smartphones for every day functioning is increasing by the day. However, on the downside, the batteries used in these devices wear out quickly, and contain toxic and rare chemicals that damage the environment. Therefore, researchers are looking for better ways to provide energy to these devices.
To convert indoor light from commonly used bulbs into energy is one way to power these devices. This is similar to how solar panels gather energy from sunlight. However, properties of light sources vary from each other, as such, the substances used in solar panels do not fit for gathering indoor light.
In a new finding, researchers at the University of Cambridge, Soochow University China, and Imperial College London discover the use of newly found green materials. These green materials that are presently being created for next-generation solar panels could find use for harvesting indoor light.
“If light from lamps commonly used in homes and buildings efficiently absorbed, the materials that have been investigated convert light into electricity, and the efficiency attained is in the range of commercial technologies,” said the co-author of the study.
Presence of Toxic Substances drawback of currently used Perovskite
Meanwhile, several possible improvements for these materials already identified. With this, in the near future, it will allow these materials to excel the performance of currently used indoor photovoltaic technologies.
Perovskite-inspired materials are one that the team investigated to be used in the power source of smart electronics. These were created to evade problems with matter called perovskites, which were created for next-generation solar cells. Despite, cheaper to manufacture than traditional solar panels that are built on silicon and deliver similar efficiency, presence of toxic lead substances is a pitfall of perovskites.
