Graphene, the strongest material on Earth, could help boost broadband internet speed, say researchers.
A UK team had devised a way to capture and convert more light into power than was previously possible.
Scientists from the Universities of Manchester and Cambridge upped the sensitivity by combining graphene with tiny metallic structures.
Their discovery paves the way for more efficient optical components and connections.
The researchers describe their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
Optical communications"Start Quote
End Quote Prof Kostya Novoselov University of ManchesterMany leading electronics companies consider graphene for the next generation of devices"
Graphene's ability to convert and conduct electricity is not new.
In the past, scientists managed to produce a simple solar cell out of the material by placing microscopic metallic wires on top of graphene sheets and shining light onto them.
Its superconductive properties meant that electrons could flow at high speed with extreme mobility - opening-up the possibility of reduced lag time in electronic components, including photo receptors used in optical fibre systems.
However, early graphene solar cells were not very efficient, as the material was only capable of absorbing about three percent of visible light, with the rest shining through it without being converted into power.
The latest research overcomes that problem by using a method, known as plasmonic enhancement to combine graphene with tiny metallic structures called plasmonic nanostructures.
As a result, its light-harvesting performance was increased by 20 times.
"The technology of graphene production matures day-by-day, which has an immediate impact both on the type of exciting physics which we find in this material, and on the feasibility and the range of possible applications," said Prof Kostya Novoselov, one of the lead researchers.
"Many leading electronics companies consider graphene for the next generation of devices. This work certainly boosts graphene's chances even further."
His colleague Professor Andrea Ferrari from the University of Cambridge added that the results show the material's "great potential in the fields of photonics and optoelectronics".
Wonder materialMany believe that the amazing properties of graphene - the thinnest, strongest and most conductive material in the world - could revolutionise electronics.
Essentially a super-conductive form of carbon made from single-atom-thick sheets, it was first discovered with help of a simple sticky tape in 2004.
Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, both originally from Russia, managed to extract the new material from graphite, commonly used as lead in pencils.
In 2010 they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work.
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