A team of Chinese researchers has developed a modified wood capable of capturing, storing, and converting solar energy into electricity even in the absence of light.
The study, published in Advanced Energy Materials, proposes a more efficient alternative to conventional solar panels. It integrates functions that previously required multiple layers and caused energy losses into a single structure.
The innovation is based on balsa wood, known for its lightness, whose internal structure was redesigned at the nanometric scale to increase its porosity and allow the incorporation of functional materials.
The Scientific Process
The development combines several stages and advanced materials:
- Lignin removal: increased the wood’s porosity up to 93%, creating a reactive network.
- Coating with black phosphorene: a material with high light absorption capacity, protected against oxidation with tannic acid and iron ions.
- Silver nanoparticles: intensify light absorption.
- Extreme hydrophobic properties: a contact angle of 153° prevents water from adhering to the surface.
- Stearic acid inside: stores thermal energy by melting and releases it upon solidifying, allowing it to power a thermoelectric generator even without solar radiation.
Tests demonstrated that the material achieves a conversion efficiency of 91.27% and can generate up to 0.65 volts under standard solar irradiation. Additionally, it maintains its performance after more than 100 thermal cycles, reinforcing its viability as a sustainable energy solution.
Additional Properties
Beyond energy generation, this smart wood offers:
- Fire resistance.
- Antimicrobial capability.
- Durability against adverse environmental conditions.
These characteristics expand its potential application in sectors such as construction, electronics, and advanced material design.
Impact on the Energy Transition
This advancement represents a step towards a new generation of materials capable of managing energy autonomously, even in dark conditions. The possibility of having structures that integrate energy capture and storage could transform the way buildings, electronic devices, and distributed generation systems are designed.
In a global context where the transition to clean energy is urgent, innovations like this allow us to overcome one of the main limitations of solar energy: its direct dependence on radiation. By offering stable performance even without light, solar wood could become a strategic complement to ensure continuous energy supply in urban and rural areas.
Future Challenges
The main challenge will be to scale production and ensure stable performance in real applications. Large-scale manufacturing of this type of wood requires industrial processes capable of maintaining nanometric precision and the durability of integrated materials.
If this stage is successfully overcome, the development could mark the beginning of a new generation of smart materials, capable of transforming energy waste into practical and sustainable solutions.
The solar wood created in China represents a pioneering advancement in the search for sustainable energy solutions. By combining capture, storage, and conversion in a single material, it opens the door to new applications that could transform the way we harness solar energy in everyday life and in strategic sectors such as construction and electronics.
