Scientists have made a major breakthrough that could significantly impact the production of solar panels and screens. By replacing the rare metals osmium and ruthenium with chromium compounds, the researchers believe that the technology’s manufacturing costs can be dramatically reduced.
Chromium, a relatively common material, is 20,000 times more abundant in the Earth’s crust compared to osmium. It is widely known for its use in chromium steel and for its shiny appearance on motorcycles. The affordability and accessibility of chromium make it a promising alternative for harvesting solar energy and creating displays for various applications like mobile phones.
The researchers designed a molecular framework that incorporates chromium atoms alongside carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen. This framework effectively minimizes energy loss when the molecules vibrate, optimizing the conversion of energy. While more complex than the current framework using noble metals, the scientists believe that further research can overcome this challenge.
Previous alternative materials to noble metals have focused on iron and copper, with moderate success. However, the researchers claim that their chromium-based approach demonstrates superior performance. It remains uncertain which alternative material will ultimately prevail.
Scientists plan to scale up production to explore other potential applications for chromium-based materials. This advancement could lead to brighter and more colorful displays and potentially enable artificial photosynthesis to convert sunlight into chemical energy in a manner similar to plants’ natural process.
The findings of this breakthrough have been published in the journal Nature Chemistry under the title ‘Photoredox-active Cr（0） luminophores featuring photophysical properties competitive with Ru（II） and Os（II） complexes’。
