The research was published in the journal "Communication-Physics" with the title "SrNbO3 as a transparent conductor in the visible and ultraviolet spectra" (SrNbO3 as a transparent conductor in the visible and ultraviolet spectra), and proposed the use of UV transparent electrodes to develop high Method of performance UV LED.

 

At this stage, UV LEDs have been used for sterilization, but due to problems such as low light efficiency and high cost, UV LEDs have not yet been commercialized on a large scale. Scientists and industry insiders continue to study ways to improve the performance of UV LEDs to provide sufficient UV doses to effectively reduce viruses.

 

The use of suitable materials is critical to improving the performance of UV LEDs. The research team of Pennsylvania State University and the University of Minnesota believes that the recently discovered new transparent conductor materials may be a solution to the low efficiency of UV LEDs. The theoretical test results point to strontium niobate materials. . Therefore, they further cooperated with researchers from Japanese universities to obtain the strontium niobate material and use the sputtering method to grow the film, and then test the performance of the strontium niobate film as a UV transparent conductor material.

 

The research team pointed out that this research is expected to integrate this new material into UV LEDs at low cost and achieve high quality. Although the original purpose of the research is to provide a solution for water disinfection, they believe that this breakthrough discovery can provide a solution to inactivate the new coronavirus in aerosols (which can be transmitted in air conditioning systems in various buildings) . In addition, other disinfection applications include movie theaters, sports arenas and other crowded places, as well as public transportation such as buses, subways, and airplanes.