Photoelectric device converts light into electrical signals

At just a few atoms thick, the ultra lightweight device converts light into electrical signals by exploring the unique properties of graphene and graphExeter. The researchers believe it could be incorporated into clothing to enable users to charge their mobile phones on the go. Other areas of application include intelligent windows that can harvest electricity and display images while remaining transparent. Saverio Russo, Professor of Physics at the University of Exeter, said: "This new flexible and transparent photosensitive device uses graphene and graphExeter to convert light into electrical signals with efficiency comparable to that found in opaque devices based on graphene and metals. "We are only just starting to explore the interfaces between different materials at very small scales and, as this research shows, we are revealing unique properties that we never knew existed. Who knows what surprises are just around the corner." Because it contains no metals and is completely transparent, Russo says the device is able to detect light from across the whole visible light spectrum. He claims it is as efficient at sensing light as other recently developed opaque photoelectric devices.