Japan, Swiss scientists create glass that generates electric current

Japanese and Swiss scientists have created glass that generates an electric current when exposed to light, an innovation they hope could lead to the production of clean energy in the long term.

According to Kyodo News, the researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne confirmed the generation of a current on the glass after they etched a circuit into its surface with a femtosecond laser, which emits ultrashort pulses of light.

Their discovery was reported on the website of the US science magazine Physical Review Applied in January.

Although challenges remain, the researchers hope the day will come when windows partially covered by tellurite glass transformed by femtosecond lasers may be developed.

WAM