Subj : "Approaching the dream of the alchemist": Scientists have been ab
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Feb 02 2024 19:15:04

"Approaching the dream of the alchemist": Scientists have been able to 
transform transparent glass into a photovoltaic surface  using a laser 
similar to that used in eye surgeries

Date:
Fri, 02 Feb 2024 19:01:44 +0000

Description:
Glass windows could function as single-material light-harvesting and sensing 
devices in the future thanks to a new breakthrough.

FULL STORY
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Scientists have successfully converted transparent glass into a photovoltaic 
surface using a laser similar to that used in eye surgeries. 

The revolutionary discovery was made by physicists at the Swiss Federal 
Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in collaboration with scientists from 
Tokyo Tech. 

Led by Gzden Torun at the Galatea Lab, the researchers were intrigued to see 
how tellurite glass would react when exposed to femtosecond laser light. This 
curiosity led to the unexpected discovery of nanoscale tellurium and 
tellurium oxide crystals, both semiconducting materials, forming where the 
glass was exposed to the laser. The presence of semiconducting materials on a 
surface exposed to daylight could potentially generate electricity. 
Approaching the dream of the alchemist 

Yves Bellouard, who heads EPFL's Galatea Laboratory , said, "We wondered if 
it would be possible to write durable patterns on the tellurite glass surface 
that could reliably induce electricity when exposed to light, and the answer 
is yes. Bellouard notes that the process requires no additional materials, 
only tellurite glass and a femtosecond laser are needed to create this active 
photoconductive material. 

The EPFL team, using tellurite glass produced by their Tokyo Tech colleagues, 
applied their expertise in femtosecond laser technology to alter the glass 
and study the laser's effect. After etching a simple line pattern onto a 1 cm 
diameter tellurite glass and exposing it to UV light and the visible 
spectrum, Torun found it could generate a current consistently for months. 

Bellouard expressed his excitement at the breakthrough, saying, "Were locally 
turning glass into a semiconductor using light. Were essentially transforming 
materials into something else, perhaps approaching the dream of the 
alchemist! 

This development may pave the way for windows to function as single-material 
light-harvesting and sensing devices in the future. 

This isnt the first such time glass has been used to generate energy. 
Polysolar manufactures transparent solar panels that  are essentially glass 
with solar panels built into them . Its not the same however, as the new 
technology uses just one material, rather than a combination. More from 
TechRadar Pro Diamond-based electronics could help power your laptop one day 
Home energy technology is the critical piece of the sustainability puzzle 
Energy and e-waste - the AI tsunamis



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/approaching-the-dream-of-the-alchemist-scientist
s-have-been-able-to-transform-transparent-glass-into-a-photovoltaic-surface-us
ing-a-laser-similar-to-that-used-in-eye-surgeries


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