New solid-state material converts sunlight into higher-energy UV light

Scientists have found a way to turn ordinary sunlight into UV light with a novel material, unlocking new possibilities for solar-powered technologies.

Imagine pouring together two cups of warm water and somehow ending up with a cup of boiling water. That cannot happen in everyday life, but at the quantum level, something similar is possible. Multiple low-energy particles of light can combine their energy to create a single particle with much higher energy. Researchers at Kyushu University have now created a solid-state molecular material capable of converting visible sunlight into ultraviolet (UV) light under normal outdoor conditions. The new material achieves a photo upconversion efficiency of 1.9%, according to a study published June 23 in Nature Communications.

Contact Lenses That Repair Themselves with UV Light

Just one hour under a UV lamp makes a scratched lens as good as new.

Newswise — Contact lenses are a great vision correction option for many, but if one of them gets damaged, there is little to do other than throw it away. A team reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials has a solution: special polymer hydrogels and UV light. Scratches on lenses made from their new material were easily repaired with an hour of UV light exposure. This demonstration is a first step toward the next generation of contact lenses.   Commonly used “soft contacts” are made from hydrogels: porous, water-filled networks of polymers. Hydrogel lenses can be scratched or become cloudy from normal wear and tear or from dust and debris. Currently, there are no methods for repairing a contact lens once it’s damaged — which can be annoying and expensive. So, Jung-Hyun Choi and Byoung-Ki Cho wanted to develop a self-healing hydrogel material for repairable contact lenses.  

[click for better quality!!]

my rad shelf.

In normal light it's just deep yellow but in UV...

As for the taste, solid 7 or 8/10

Sour and sweet taste like chemical lemon flavouring.

Here's the packaging if anyone wants to know what they're called🔻🔻🔻