Harvesting UV Light from sunlight just got ‘solid’

Kyushu University researchers have overcome a long-standing challenge of efficiently converting visible light into UV in solid materials through precise molecular design. By adding side chains to the sp³ carbon atoms of an organic molecule, they achieved high luminescence and efficient energy transfer in the solid state. The system reaches 1.9% conversion efficiency under weak light intensity comparable to sunlight, opening the door to applications including solar-driven photocatalysts, indoor air purification, OLEDs, and 3D printing.

Raccontata daeurekalert.org