When graphene was discovered in 2004, it led to a Nobel Prize win for scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at the University of Manchester. In the time since, research has been done on the lightweight, harder-than-a-diamond material to find potential applications for use of the product. Now, graphene is being used in different ways, and researchers are hoping to produce a paint that coats the outside of buildings, a paint that will then be able to produce solar power for the building.
This isn’t as far-fetched as it might seem. Graphene may be a very thin material, but studies have shown it can absorb enough sunlight to produce solar energy that competes with the amount of energy that is able to be culled using solar panels. The Telegraph reported the news on Friday, noting that energy for paint on buildings is a big focus, but that graphene could potentially be used for other solar panel applications, including in cell phones. The brand new stretchable battery may have some competition.
In fact, graphene could be a solution for plenty of other energy problems. Recently, scientists at the university published an article in the journal Science which explains how the group used layers of graphene and layers of transition metal dichalcogenides to create electricity. Keep your eyes open for more graphene-powered, I mean oriented, news in the future and especially keep your eyes peeled for news concerning that paint.
