Crystals hold promise of affordable solar energy, may have been purchased on eBay

We have no real way of verifying whether or not these so-calls crystals were purchased alongside some bizarre time machine on eBay, but we'll take this guy's word for it and assume not for the time being. Reportedly, University of Queensland professor Max Lu has teamed up with researchers in order to grow "the world's first titanium oxide single crystals with large amounts of reactive surfaces." Put simply, these very crystals can "absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity." It's said that Lu has been working on the project for some 15 years, and even now, he doesn't expect the creation to be commercially viable for another decade. Aside from morphing into fairies and making dreams come true, the things could also be used to "purify air and water." Pair this up with an invisibility cloak and we'll really be in business.

[Thanks, Brendan]

[phanbouy @ May 28th 2008 7:44PM]

Sure he looks all square in that photo, but on weekends he hams it up at New Age festivals

[Rafer @ May 28th 2008 8:16PM]

Whats so hard to believe about a crystal with photosynthesis. I mean thin flimsy green things can do it.

[phanbouy @ May 28th 2008 10:21PM]

NSF Grant Proposal 43243FQ-5:

Dear Committee:

I mean totally. like check it out bro, what's so funny about a little crystal doin' the ole' carbon fixation thang? Teh crystal can haz teh sugarz.

[Tom @ May 28th 2008 8:18PM]

The trouble is, with climate change and anything related getting extra special attention these days, the best way to assure yourself some extra funding is to tack it on to any funding proposal. A machine that makes margarine out of cow dung (its solar powered - honest!)? Have some cash!

[LarryLarryLarry @ May 28th 2008 8:23PM]

Worst Engadget reporting blurb in memory. It's so busy trying to be snarky and clever that it's impossible to tell what the actual web article is even about.

There actually is a place for clear writing in a news aggregation blog.

[Richard Lai @ May 28th 2008 8:25PM]

Phew, I thought it was just me who couldn't understand the above article.

[mojo @ May 28th 2008 8:26PM]

Not so completely hard to believe given the piezoelectric effect whereby a crystalline structure can produce electric current when subjected to pressure, and of course a solar cell does the job pretty well... so, I am not totally skeptical that a naturally occurring crystal structure could have some kind of electric potential from absorbed light. Whether it is commerically viable or not would depend on being able to understand and then reproduce the crystal's structure so as to reproduce the effect.

[Blacksheep @ May 28th 2008 8:41PM]

I followed the read link but was totally distracted by the story on the right side of the page about the host of "The Footy" show leaving.

I started laughing as soon as I saw that, then I clicked the link to find a Youtube video of an Australian guy dressing a naked mannequin! I then had to look up the Footy show to see what the hell it was and its a show that has something to do with Australian rules football. lol

I love the British Commonwealth, they all have charming/hilarious names for the most everyday things that would never even come up in America. Jammy dodgers anyone? :p

[patsy @ May 28th 2008 8:58PM]

Australians love shortening all commonly used words: Australia is just Oz, football is footy, chewing gum is chewey, sun glasses are sunnies. When it's so hot and humid it takes way too much effort to pronounce entire words.

[ryan @ May 29th 2008 1:13AM]

your avatars are strikingly similar.

[patriotsn1 @ May 28th 2008 8:44PM]

"Don't forget the crystals"

[nick @ May 28th 2008 8:46PM]

There's nothing crazy or "new age" about using crystals in solar panels. In fact, most of our solar technologies rely on them. Silicon, Gallium Arsenide, CIGS, Cadmium Telluride... are all crystalline. The only technologies that I can think of that aren't crystalline are Amorphous Silicon and the newer organic/dye/polymer types. Crystals and semiconductors go hand-in-hand, meaning that not only can crystals convert light into energy, they can convert energy into light, do trillions of calculations per second, communicate with people all over the globe...

The innovation here is being able to grow large single crystals of Titanium Oxide. That's it. The applications are only mentioned to appease the reporter conducting the interview. So instead of just making fun of this guy and writing this off, try reading a little. I understand this might conflict with your copy/paste school of journalism, but in the end you won't sound like a huge ass.

[Findeh @ May 28th 2008 9:04PM]

Next week on Engadget: Solar power can be harnessed from light hitting water, to be released in 2999.

Face it, most of these hairbrained schemes and science "discoveries" never actually go anywhere. Sorry to be so negative, but there are too many solar energy stories that aren't gonna succeed.

[whatever @ May 28th 2008 9:17PM]

i don't know why the author and many commenters on here are such utter dickheads about this. as someone above already noted, this is real science, and there's nothing new or revolutionary about it.

i guess bashing science or other intellectual areas when you're a bitter high-school drop-out that now blogs (or trolls blogs) for a living must come with the territory.

grow the fuck up, you losers.

[phanbouy @ May 28th 2008 10:17PM]

what's scary that you think you're the model of adulthood

[myco @ May 28th 2008 9:24PM]

well that puts an end to taking any info from engadget.
you just lost all credibility.
As has already been pointed out, all our hi-tech gear is based on crystals, but never mind that. That all communications has been dependent on crystals since we left the days of spark gaps (welders dont make good radios).
Nice to know you do your research.

[TIB @ May 28th 2008 9:37PM]

I read, years ago, that this stuff is the perfect catalyst for breaking down smog. The article mentioned that coating car radiators with it would be a good way to clean up LA's air.

It has also been mentioned as a way to produce hydrogen directly from water, powered by sunlight.

Endless uses actually. Very amazing that it can be grown so large as single crystals.

[Jeff Lewis @ May 28th 2008 9:47PM]

The problem, of course, is that these aren't Apple-branded. If it purports to be new technology and isn't from Apple, then to Engadget, it can't be real. :)

Thank God it doesn't bear a superficial resemblence to the iPod, iPhone or Asus Eee notebook or the sarcarm level would shatter steel on the moon.

Anyway, since apparently typing "photovolatic titanium oxide" into Google was too difficult, allow me. Here's some reading:

http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=1999065045

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1151-2916.1997.tb03245.x

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6720202/claims.html

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18097038


Oh.. and in case you're not familiar with the concept of 'photovoltaic cells'...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell

Oh yeah.. it also makes a great sunblock because Titanium Oxide....the main ingredient in sunblocks... ABSORBS UV...

[Augusta Charron @ Jun 4th 2008 2:49AM]

Thanks for the links Jeff. In doing some research, there are a few, very few unfortunately, companies that are, in fact, doing research into the properties and viability of ustilizing crystals as a source of alternative energy. It has been found that the capacity of crystals can be quite enormous. It seems the question is how to effectively get the energy from the crystals in a stable and constant form.

[Tony @ May 28th 2008 9:53PM]

TIB, was it coating car radiators to reduce smog? The radiator is in a closed system. Am I missing something?

[e-mail]

[TIB @ May 28th 2008 10:26PM]

That's right Tony. I read that as air passed through the radiator, over a coating of this catalyst, it would either absorb or break it down (I forget which - it was many years back).

[phanbouy @ May 28th 2008 10:42PM]

MC Hammer could really break it down

[Ben Langley @ May 28th 2008 9:53PM]

Titanium dioxide is a semiconductor just like silicon, germanium arsenide and a host of other compounds in use everyday. Its has two main uses: 1. as a photocatalyst: it can absorb UV light producing electrons that are able to break down compounds that are adsorbed on its surface. This has been used for many years in self-cleaning glass panels. 2. if you absorb a sensitiser on to the surface, you can construct a photoelectrochemical cell (a.k.a a Gratzel Cell) which currently have efficiences similar to cheap silicon cells.

These Gratzel cells are what the news post refers to. In order for your cell to be efficient you need a large surface area for light absorption and good conduction of the generated electricity, which requires as few crystal boundaries as possible. Prior to this announcement these two requirements were mutually exclusive; you either had a nanocrystalline powder with excellent surface area but poor conduction or a single crystal with good conduction but low surface area. Thus this announcement is a significant breakthrough in this field.

I hope this convinces you that this science is real, significant, and not the "snake-oil" as the above post seems to portray it.

[Todd M. @ May 29th 2008 8:00PM]

He missed HS science class.

[Garst @ May 28th 2008 10:33PM]

Yeah, magical crystals that can turn sunlight into electricity sold on ebay. That's believable. I know solar cells have been on pocket calculators for awhile now, but the crystals don't sound real. Especially when they're listed along with a time machine.

[HM @ May 28th 2008 11:28PM]

The guy does seem to be credible and capable of the above. Have a look at his bio:
http://www.uq.edu.au/~e1mlu/

[phanbouy @ May 29th 2008 12:56AM]

thatsa lotta "u's" in that thar url

[Dennis @ May 29th 2008 2:58AM]

@ phanbuoy:
was that the best thing you could come up with?
i mean really? lots of u's?

[phanbouy @ May 29th 2008 3:36AM]

hey i work with what i got cha know?

[John @ May 29th 2008 9:04AM]

So is this a titanium oxide or titanium dioxide crystal? Titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be used to break down organic molecules in the air and water. But, the most effective way is to use a combination of different forms of TiO2 crystals, not a single crystal.

The process that breaks down those organic molecules involves moving electrons around when exposed to UV light. So, it could make electricity...I guess.

[kagai @ May 29th 2008 11:07AM]

Is there a really good science blog anywhere?

[mkim @ May 29th 2008 11:23AM]

Considering Engadget and Giz get all excited about tech that will never pan out, I give this a good chance of being a huge success.

[Xtort @ May 29th 2008 12:22PM]

I suppose it all depends on how much voltage it created from X amount of sunlight for it to be useful.

[maff @ May 29th 2008 1:39PM]

Napoleon: 'it......kills, turn it off!'