Invent a new type of pixel to screen

At the University of Michigan (USA) have created a new type of pixel screen that also functions as a photovoltaic cell . The invention could increase the efficiency of the screens on mobile phones and devices for reading electronic books, among other applications. In traditional liquid crystal displays (LCD for its acronym in English), less than 8 percent of the reflected light reaches the eye of the reader. The rest is absorbed by color filters and polarizers, said Jay Guo, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan and coauthor of the investigation. "The absorbed light is totally wasted, says Guo. It turns into heat, one can feel if you put your hand near a monitor. "

To avoid this, Guo and colleagues have developed a filter that can convert energy approximately 2 percent of the light that would otherwise be wasted . This could represent a significant amount to keep running the gadgets we use everyday electronics, according to the scientists in the journal ACS Nano. . The researchers created the new filter organic semiconductor photovoltaic cells by adding a color filter composed of sheets nanofinas metal grids spaced very precisely which act as resonant trap and reflect light in a particular color. The color depends only on the space between the grooves. The new filter, just 200 nanometers thick, is one hundred times finer than traditional color filters, a feature that could be attractive for use in future ultra-thin devices with display screens.