Eco Factor: Oriental Hornet bodywork works as a natural photovoltaic material.
Scientists from Israel and the UK have discovered that the Oriental Hornet has unique bodywork that works as a natural photovoltaic cell, converting sunlight and useful energy. Inspired by the insect, the scientists proceeded to create a cell of their own. The scientists observed that the hornet’s nest-digging activity increased with the intensity of sunlight, which was in contrast to most wasps that tend to be more active in the early morning.
This unique behavior of the hornet, made the scientists believe that it might be using solar radiation. The team then discovered that the cuticle material making up the brown portions of the shell consists of an array of grooves. The yellow part of the body is made up of a cuticle material bearing a series of interlocking oval-shaped protrusions, each of which features a pinhole-sized depression.
The antireflective brown material splits any sunlight that hits it into several diverging beams. These beams then proceed into the cuticle, where they encounter a sheet-like structure. This complex structure traps solar light beams within the cuticle. The yellow color of the cuticle comes from the pigment xanthopterin, which has the ability to change light into electrical energy. The team’s dye-sensitized solar cell, which has been based on this natural structure, has a conversion efficiency of about 0.335 percent. Though the efficiency is quite low when compared with other photovoltaic cells, the technology could still pave the way for further advances in the field.
Via: Gizmag
