New materials turn light, heat, kinetic energy into electricity at the same time

Scientists have discovered a mineral that can produce electricity from multiple sources at the same time, including: light, heat and kinetic energy.

This mineral belongs to the perovskite family, having the same crystal structure as a ceramic. This is the first time researchers have found a material with this particular property, because it can convert three sources into energy only at room temperature.

Perovskite photovoltaic cells were invented in 2009. These minerals are considered as materials with great potential in energy regeneration technology. Cheap perovskite photovoltaic cells are more efficient than traditional sillic photovoltaic cells. Its efficiency has increased from 3.8% in 2009 to 22.1% in 2016. This makes it the fastest-growing photovoltaic technology until now.

But solar power has a big problem: What happens if there is not enough sunlight, or it is completely sun-free and most of the devices are used mainly in the home?

The team of the University of Oulu in Finland decided to experiment with various perovskite minerals. They want to know which of them can be exploited to produce energy from complex sources? They finally found a great candidate for this job - KBNNO.

Common minerals will never be efficient enough to power your entire home like perovskite photovoltaic cells. Scientists say it can be used in electrical devices such as phones or computers or many other smart devices - which are increasingly taking up positions in the home or on the street.

"This new study will promote the development of IoT technology and smart cities. Because of the KBNNO, the energy-consuming sensors and devices in these technologies are no longer a concern." , Yang Bai - one of the team members said.

First discovered the KBNNO material.(Photo: llya Grinberg).

Like all perovskite, KBNNO is an electric iron material so it has small electric dipole molecules . They act like compa. When the compass is impacted by the magnet, its needle will rotate in a fixed direction. Likewise, when the electric iron material changes due to temperature effects, its poles will deviate. This creates an instantaneous current. This phenomenon is called a fire phenomenon.

KBNNO is also a photoelectric with a blocking layer ( the voltage on the junction between the two substances when a stream of light passes through) can generate electricity when exposed to the sun. It is also piezoelectric, so it can transfer pressures caused by motion into electricity.

In previous studies, many scientists have found that the ability of photovoltaics has a blocking layer of KBNNO, they even have clues about its other properties. But their properties were only revealed in extremely low temperatures, below the freezing temperatures of hundreds of degrees - the Oulu team showed.

When examining the properties of KBNNO at room temperature, the team found the ability to generate energy from a single source far outperforming other perovskite types. Moreover, it can generate energy from all three sources immediately, which makes sense in emergency situations.

The researchers also found a way to adjust the content of KBNNO. This helps improve its sensitivity to heat and pressure. Since then the predictions of its performance level will be more accurate.

"Most likely, the characteristics of KBNNO will be pushed to the highest level. The materials that convert the sources into electrical energy are many. However, this is the first material to generate instant energy from All three sources, so you do not need to keep many electrical conversion equipment indoors , " Bai said.

But as usual, since the discovery of new materials until the application is a very long time. It will be long for this new mineral to be commercialized. But according to scientists, it is more rewarding for us to almost discover all the properties of minerals on Earth.

The entire study was published in Applied Physics Letters.