Using a “forest” of gold nanorods, scientists at UCSB are developing a new method of harvesting the Sun’s energy. Though still in its infancy, the research promises to convert sunlight into energy using a process based on metals that are more robust than many of the semiconductors used in conventional methods. The researchers' findings are published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. “It is the first radically new and potentially workable alternative to semiconductor-based solar conversion devices to be developed in the past 70 years or so,” said Martin Moskovits, professor of chemistry at UCSB. READ MORE (UCSB Featured News)

The researchers behind the plasmonic water splitter from left to right: postdoctoral researchers Syed Mubeen and Joun Lee; (standing) Professor Martin Moskovits; (sitting) grad student Nirala Singh.