“Hi, Orak,” Scorch greeted her friend. “What’s happening in the world of science and technology?” she said. Orak was poring over his Book of Everything.
Orak looked up. “Scientists have found a new way to create a key part of electronics using water!” he announced.
“Water? How is that possible?” Verum said.
“Scientists have found a way to make perovskites using water. In the future, perovskites could be part of solar cells (converts solar energy to electricity), semiconductors (allows heat or electricity to pass through), and LEDs (emits light when power is supplied to it),” Orak said.
“But what are perovskites?” Felix said.
Orak explained, “Perovskites are a type of nanomaterial (tiny particles) with a crystal structure. A crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal.
Usually, water isn’t used to create perovskites. It leads to many defects in the material. But now the members of ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science in Australia have come up with a new method. They have found a way to control the growth of perovskite crystals with water.”
“How did they do that?” Scorch said.
“They changed the ratio of water to solvent in the early stages of the process. It led to the growth of different types of perovskite crystals. A solvent is a substance (usually a liquid) in which other materials dissolve to form a solution.
The new method doesn’t require a unique environment or technique. It works at room temperature (a temperature that is normal in rooms). Perovskites are cheaper to make. So, the process won’t be expensive,” Orak answered.
“When the scientists at Monash University, Australia, tested out the perovskites-made X-ray detectors with regular X-ray detectors,” Orak continued, “they found that both worked on a similar level.
They also found that the perovskites-made X-ray detectors with new method performed better than perovskite X-ray detectors developed using slower and different methods.”
“Interesting,” Verum noted.
“Perovskites created with this method can also be used to create lasers!” Orak said.