Yellow is not the new black: discovery paves way for new generation of solar cells

A study led by KU Leuven for the first time explains how a promising type of perovskites - man-made crystals that can convert sunlight into electricity - can be stabilised. As a result, the crystals turn black, enabling them to absorb sunlight. This is necessary to be able to use them in new solar panels that are easy to make and highly efficient. The study was published in Science . Perovskites are semiconductor materials that have many applications. They show particular promise in harvesting solar energy. Currently, most solar cells are made with silicon crystals, a relatively straightforward and effective material to process for this purpose.