Photoconducting Nano-Cables Produce Electricity from Light

“Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed what they call the first photoconducting nanostructures, nanocables that convert light into electricity.

The cables, 16 nanometers in diameter and several micrometers long, resemble the light-harvesting antennae used by some bacteria and transform light into electricity in a similar way to the semiconductors in solar panels.

The nanocables could be fitted to nano-sized robots or micro-machines and power their movements, suggests Franz Würthner at the University of Würzburg in Germany. Their similarity in size and function to the antennae used by bacteria for photosynthesis means it might also be possible to connect them to such organisms, creating hybrid devices”…. <More>

Tags: Nanotechnology, Technology