Scientists from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, in collaboration with Canadian colleagues, have discovered a way to control the energy flow in molecules through chemical signals. As the university announced on Wednesday, the discovery could potentially be used for more efficient solar cells, medical diagnostics and quantum computing.
The research focuses on a process called singlet fission, which divides the energy from light particles between two electrons. The researchers modified a molecule from the group of tetrazene so that it binds protons in an acidic environment, changing its properties. This allows the energy flow to be targeted and switched on and off.
The results were published in the scientific journal “Nature Communications.” However, the scientists acknowledged that there is still a long way to go until this application can be used in solar cells.