Scientists have discovered that the material perovskite has interesting properties for making both solar panels and lasers. The material can absorb light well, but is also able to subsequently re-emit it.
According to scientists at the University of Cambridge, perovskite, a material made up of a mix of calcium and titanium oxide, is suitable for building lasers. This discovery comes after experiments with perovskite solar panels started some time ago. After two years of research, the efficiency of perovskite solar panels would already be 17 percent, which means that development is faster than with conventional solar panels based on silicon. Perovskite solar panels are expected to become more efficient than commercially available panels in the short term.
The researchers in Cambridge have discovered that in addition to absorbing, perovskite is also good at emitting light. In their experiments, they discovered that 70 percent of the absorbed light is re-emitted. According to the scientists, it is remarkable that such a high efficiency is found in a material that is cheap to produce.
It was already known that perovskite could eventually be used for highly efficient and also cheap solar panels. The discovery that the material is also suitable for building low-cost lasers is likely to generate additional interest from scientists and the development of more practical applications.