Smart wallpaper creates energy itself

In the future, houses will be decorated with "smart wallpaper" patterns, absorbing light from the surrounding environment including the smallest light rays.

After the flexible solar battery invention, scientists are about to release a "smart wallpaper" that absorbs light and heat to power homes in the next few years.

Engineers at Surrey University (UK) used butterfly-shaped designs to create paper-thin panels that still achieve 90% efficiency in dim light conditions.

Smart wallpaper made from graphene metamaterials can provide electricity for homes in the future.

The team speculated that graphene - a material just one atom thick - could be used to create solar panels with a weak point of absorbing light. For this reason, researchers have learned how animals react in the dark and they discover that moths have evolved intelligently to maximize the amount of light. may.

The eyes of moths have very small pieces of mirrors through which light is collected to the center of the eye. Scientists have copied this structure from moths to make extremely efficient panels.

Thin nanomaterials allow future applications such as "smart wallpaper" to generate electricity from light or heat.

Professor Ravi Silva, Director of the British Institute of Technology, said: "Nature knows how to evolve to adapt very effectively. And from there, we find the inspiration to conquer the challenges of future technology.

The eyes of butterflies with microscopic mirrors allow them to see in rather dark conditions, we apply the same technique to create a thin material and absorb the best light from graphene samples. ".

"Energy cells when coated with this material can absorb the weakest rays and" smart wallpaper "or" smart windows "when installed in a home that can generate electricity. from light or heat around.

Graphene metamaterials have also been recorded as a material with high thermal conductivity and mechanical strength, however, scientists must use insulation methods called "nanotexturising" to help graphene be absorbed. better light , " Professor Silva added.

Flexible solar cells will soon be equipped for indoor walls as well as on the roof of the house.

Dr José Anguita from Surrey University - the lead author of the study, commented: "Because of its thinness, graphene can only absorb a very small percentage of light on the surface, so Graphene is not suitable for all kinds of optoelectronic technologies that require excellence in the future.

Graphene metamaterials with nanostructures work to channel light rays into narrow spaces between nanostructures, thereby increasing the amount of light absorbed ".

Graphene is only one atom thick.

"Currently, we have been able to observe the absorption of very strong light from very thin nanorods. Normally, a sheet of graphene can absorb 2-3% of light, using the method. This graphene metamaterial with ultra-thin nano coating technology can absorb 95% of light on a wide spectrum, from ultraviolet rays to infrared, " Dr Anguita added.

The work is published in the Science Advances Science journal.