Solar panels will make of rust

New type of solar cell, producing synthetic fuel from light and water (photoelectrochemical fuel cells), developed by Swiss scientists. Their main material made rust, reported in the journal Energy & Environmental Science.
Rust (iron oxide) could revolutionize solar energy. Enemy of the industry it becomes a friend - if you use it in the production of photoelectrode, splitting the water and producing hydrogen. Then the light will directly convert into fuel (and not electricity, as in modern solar-powered). Alas, as raw rust is not without serious shortcomings. Although she is fantastically cheap and absorbs light just at the wavelength where the sun gives the maximum energy, it is very poor conductor of electricity. Therefore, rust is suitable for use in solar cells only in the form of a thin film that absorbs little light depressingly.


Florent Boudoir and Arthur Brown solved this problem by using tungsten oxide microparticles. They are applied to the photoelectrode and already on them - a thin layer of rust. Sunlight falling on the material begins to be reflected back and forth, until complete absorption.
According to the Boudoir, the principle of operation of the new microstructure reminiscent of moth. The eyes of these insects, nocturnal, should collect maximum light (to see in the dark), but minimally reflect it - otherwise their owners notice predators. Moth eye so tuned to a specific wavelength.
Swiss scientists have created artificial eyes of moths special microspheres. First, glass, plastic particles are poured in the middle of which there is a drop of saline solution containing tungsten. When heated, these plastic glass "beads" burned, and each drop of the solution is converted into a microsphere of tungsten oxide. Then poured on a glass already saline iron and it is heated again.
The smaller in size the microspheres, the more light falls on the iron oxide. In the future, the researchers plan to experiment with several layers of microspheres stacked.