Ukcanadaus researchers develop new solar water-splitting technology ©
~!~ The technology, which is described online in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters©, relies on a configuration of light activated gold nanoparticles that harvest sunlight and transfer solar energy to highly excited electrons, which scientists sometimes refer to as *hot electrons//*
~!~ *Hot electrons have the potential to drive very useful chemical reactions, but they decay very rapidly, and people have struggled to harness their energy,* said lead researcher Isabell Thomann©, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and of chemistry and materials science and nanoengineering at Rice// *For example, most of the energy losses in today*s best photovoltaic solar panels are the result of hot electrons that cool within a few trillionths of a second and release their energy as wasted heat//*