Gold nanoparticles turn light into electrical current

By Dario Borghino 19:18 February 22, 2010 2 Pictures

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Material scientists at the Nano/Bio Interface Center of the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated the transduction of optical radiation to electrical current in a molecular circuit Image Gallery (2 images)

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Turning sunlight into electrical power is all but a new problem, but recent advancements made by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have given a new twist to the subject. While not currently aimed at solar panel technology, their research has uncovered a way to turn optical

radiation into electrical current that could lead to self-powering molecular circuits and efficient data storage. Professor of materials science Dawn Bonnell and colleagues placed light-sensitive gold nanoparticles on a glass substrate, minimizing the distance between the nanoparticles. The team then stimulated conductive electrons with optical radiation to ride the surface of the gold nanoparticles, creating so-called "surface plasmons" that induce electrical current across molecules. Under these conditions, surface plasmons were found to increase the efficiency of current production by a factor of four to 20. The size, shape and separation of the array of golden nanoparticles can be customized independently of the optical characteristics of the molecule, and optimization of these parameters could, the researchers say, produce enhancement factors of thousands, and the resulting electrical current could be easily transported to the outside world. "If the efficiency of the system could be scaled up without any additional, unforeseen limitations, we could conceivably manufacture a 1A, 1V sample the diameter of a human hair and an inch long," Prof Bonnell explained. The results may lead to better nano-sized circuits that can power themselves, potentially through sunlight. Another interesting application suggested by the researchers could be for data storage, where a photovoltaic circuit could encode bits using wavelengths of light rather than electrical charge. The study, published in the current issue of the journal ACS Nano, was supported by the Nano/Bio Interface Center, National Science Foundation, the John and Maureen Hendricks Energy Fellowship and the US Department of Energy.

Gold nanoparticles turn trees into streetlights

By Darren Quick 22:11 November 11, 2010 16 Comments

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We might someday be using glowing trees as streetlights thanks to a discovery by Dr. Yen-Hsun Su (Image: Daniel Schwen)

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The discovery that gold nanoparticles can induce luminescence in leaves has opened up the prospect of using roadside trees as streetlights. Post-doctor Yen-Hsun Su of Research Center for Applied Science (RCAS), Academia Sinica, Taiwan, implanted gold nanoparticles into Bacopa caroliniana plants and found that, when exposed to high wavelength ultraviolet light, the gold nanoparticles can produce a blue-violet fluorescence that triggers a red emission of the surrounding chlorophyll. Dr. Yen-Hsun Su is a former student of the Department of Physics at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan where he was supervised by Prof. Wei-Min Zhang of Department of Physics and Assistant Prof. Shih-Hui Chang of Institute of Electro-Optical Science and Engineering. Upon learning of the discovery, Assistant Prof. Shih-Hui Chang said: Light emitting diode (LED) has replaced traditional light source in many display panels and street lights on the road. A lot of light emitting diode, especially white light emitting diode, uses phosphor powder to stimulate light of different wavelengths. However, phosphor powder is highly toxic and its price is expensive. As a result, Dr. Yen-Hsun Wu had the idea to discover a method which is less toxic to replace phosphor powder which can harm human bodies and cause environmental pollution. This is a major motivation for him to engage in the research at the first place. Prof. Wei-Min Zhang, Assistant Prof. Shih-Hui Chang and Dr. Yen-Hsun Su have emphasized that the technologies and bioluminescence efficiency need to be improved for the trees to replace street lights in the future and reach the goal of energy saving and environmental protection, but Dr. YenHsun Su is hopeful.

In the future, bio-LED could be used to make roadside trees luminescent at night. This will save energy and absorb CO2 as the bio-LED luminescence will cause the chloroplast to conduct photosynthesis, said Dr. Yen-Hsun Su in an interview withChemistry World.