Phys.org March 27, 2018
Researchers in Sweden have developed a method and a material that generates an electrical impulse when the light fluctuates from sunshine to shade and vice versa. They created a tiny optical generator by combining the small antennas consisting gold nanodiscs placed on a substrate and coated with a polymeric film to create the pyroelectric properties. The antennas generate heat that is then converted to electricity with the aid of the polymer. The degree of polarisation of the polymer affects the magnitude of the generated power, while the thickness not to have any effect at all. Applications can be found in optics research, optical computing and in the future harvesting energy using the natural fluctuations between sunshine and shade in trees… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE