Perovskite Test | A lead test based on solarcell technology

Perovskite Test Based on Solarcell Technology Offers Breakthrough

AMOLF researchers have used the special properties of perovskite semiconductors to develop a simple perovskite test that detects the presence of lead. Perovskite is a material suitable for use in LEDs and solarcells, for example.

Revolutionary Lead Detection with Perovskite Semiconductors

A lead-containing surface shines bright green when sprayed with the test. This test is 1000 times more sensitive than existing tests and the researchers found no false positive or false negative results. This study was published on November 27th in the scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology.

“It is a really cool project and it is quite rare for fundamental research to literally impact the entire world with an application.”

“We have hijacked the technology of perovskite semiconductors and used it in a widely deployable lead test. Nobody in this discipline had ever thought of that.” Says Lukas Helmbrecht, researcher at the group Self-Organizing Matter led by Wim Noorduin at AMOLF. “We are very pleased with these results,” says Noorduin.

Only lead lights up

Helmbrecht took on the challenge and discovered that a methyl ammonium bromide solution works best. As soon as this solution comes into contact with a lead compound, it immediately forms a lead perovskite, which lights up bright green under UV light. Helmbrecht tried a range of surfaces, from lead pipes and paint to lead salts, glass, plastics and electrical wire. They all lit up bright green as proof of the presence of lead.

In addition, Helmbrecht tested more than fifty materials that did not contain lead but did contain similar elements, such as tin, aluminum, and copper. None of these lit up. This indicates that the test is highly chemoselective. The test reveals lead concentrations of one nanogram per mm2, whereas most current tests have an accuracy of no more than a few micrograms per mm2. The new test is therefore 1000 times more sensitive.

Read the full article on amolf.nl