The cable turns light into electricity

In the near future, the dream of creating a wire that turns light into electricity will become a reality, Japanese scientists claim.

Takanori Fukushita, a researcher at the University of Tokyo (Japan), said that the hollow cables they make are 16 nanometers in diameter and a few micrometres in length. They look like antennas that capture the light of some species of bacteria and are able to turn light into electricity - similar to semiconductors in solar cells. However, compared to solar cells, the amount of electricity produced by nanowires is much smaller.

To fabricate nanoscale, Fukushita and add-on strands of hexabenzocoronene (HBC), two carbon -12 and trinitrofluorenone (TNF) chains into one mixture. They put the mixture into the tetrahydrofuran solution and aerate methane. Under the action of methane, the compound turns into hollow cables.

HBC, which releases electrons (electrons) when exposed to light, forms the inner surface of the cable. TNF, always in the electronic reception position, covers the outside surface.

Every time a photon (light quantum) hits the outside of the cable, it will pass through the cable wall and hit an electron on the inner surface. The collision causes the electron to " jump " to the outer surface, leaving a hole with a positive charge. The movement of electrons and pits can create electricity.

To test the ability of nanowires to generate electricity, the researchers placed a cable on a silicon surface and connected the two ends of the cable to the anode and cathode of a voltmeter. When light hits the outer surface of the cable, an electric current starts to flow. Needle moving voltmeter. When the light is turned off, the current also disappears.

At the present time, the amount of nanowires produced from the sun is not large enough to be used in daily life. The cause is TNF, which covers the outer surface of the cable, preventing the movement of electrons. Fukushita confirmed that improving the conductivity of the outer surface is the next step of the study. He thinks nanowires will conduct electricity better if carbon-60 molecules are attached to the outer surface. Meanwhile, the cable will be like a semiconductor, allowing more electrons to pass through the surface.

If Japanese experts succeed, scientists can put nanowires into micro-robots to power them. At that time, making nano-sized devices would be easy. Because of the same function and size as the microbes of bacteria and nanotubes, it is possible to connect with those organisms, creating hybrid devices.

Viet Linh