Researchers could reduce the Sun-induced glare from solar panels, electronic screens and even military equipment using a method inspired by moth eyeballs.
"We found that a very simple process and a tiny bit of gold can turn a transparent film black," UC Irvine chemistry professor Robert Corn, said in a news release.
The study started when the researchers noticed what they thought was soot on a flexible film they were working on. Instead of looking at this as a bad thing the researchers saw it as an opportunity to create a surface that is resistant against glare. The material could also keep grime and liquid from sticking to the screen or damaging it.
The team etched a pattern of the cones on moth eyeballs on Teflon. The team then applied a thin layer of gold over this nanoscale etching.
The team found that they shine from any light shining in the surface was eliminated and the material was also hydrophobic, meaning it repelled water.
People living in "Newport Beach, Calif [and] certain cities in England and Australia" have complained about glare from nearby solar panels that "unintentionally beam blinding sunlight onto their properties.," the news release reported.
Military troops risk their position being revealed when light bounced off their equipment or weapons and cell phones can be all but unreadable in bright light.
"We're excited about where this technology might lead and who could be interested in exploring the commercial opportunities that this new advancement presents," senior licensing officer Doug Crawford said in the news release.
"Corn, Mana Toma and Gabriel Loget are co-inventors on the patent and co-authors of the studies," the news release reported.
UC Irvine is ranked first among U.S. universities under 50 years old by the London-based Times Higher Education, according to the news release.
