By boosting the cells' performance with a coating of perovskite, it is possible to develop spray-on solar cell technology that will be both efficient and affordable. Spray-painted solar cells have been being manufactured for some time now by using organic semi-conductors, but their efficiency has been traditionally very low. However, I suggest developing a spray-on technology that will use perovskite. It will create very little waste and can be scaled up to high-volume...

A new method of manufacturing blue jeans is making them greener while saving energy and materials. The advanced denim process will reduce the amount of water necessary to make a pair of jeans by up to 92 percent while also generating 87 percent less cotton waste, and producing less greenhouse gasses and waste-water. The process will use a single dyeing vat and replace conventional indigo dyes with eco-advanced liquid sulfur dyes that will require only one sugar-based reducing...

A self-cleaning glass is said to be both glare-free and anti-fogging, which could lead to better optical devices and more efficient solar panels. The glass is made of thin layers of deposited material selectively removed to form a surface of tiny cones. This cone pattern prevents glare while also repelling water, bouncing the droplets and reflections off the angled walls.

A new coating for fabric will be able to use sunlight to self clean, removing stains and dirt. The coating will contain a combination of titanium dioxide and nitrogen. Silver iodide nanoparticles added to the coating will improve the fabric's sensitivity to light. Exposing the treated fabric to sunlight will break down the dirt and kills microbes. The coating will retain its efficiency, even after repeated washings. Current light-activated self-cleaning coatings differ from...

The idea is to create a new invisible vapor coating which will protect electronic devices from water damage. The coating will be a "nano-scale film barrier" that will cover all the interior spaces of a device. Since the product will work at the nanoscale level it will be virtually invisible, and will not distort displays or affect the user's tactile experience.

The idea is to create polymers that could be used to make paint that can heal its own scratches when exposed to UV light. The new polymers are to be using a method known as supramolecular assembly. Polymers made of small molecules will be formed into chains bound by metal ions. When these molecules are exposed to UV light, they will become temporarily unattached, forming a liquid that will fill in the scratches in under a minute. The molecules will reassemble and resolidify once...

I've just found out that there is a material, made out of graphite, as thin as a sheet of paper and 10 times stronger than a sheet of steel. The graphene paper is created by milling and purifying raw graphite in a chemical bath, which changes its structure and allows it to be pressed into sheets. The thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties of the sheets allow them to have a wide range of applications in many industries, such as automotive and aviation, with the added...

It was found out that chicken feathers could be used to create stronger and more lightweight plastics. Feathers are made up primarily of keratin, a tough and stable protein that can add strength while reducing weight in plastics composites. The idea is to develop a method to use chicken feathers as the primary ingredient in the composites, rather than just an additive, by adding methyl acrylate to processed feathers to create strong, thin films. The feather based plastics...

The idea is to use a new technology to create plastic from sewage. The process will transform sewage into a biodegradable plastic by first removing the water and certain solids. A group of bacteria that address different parts of the sewage, such as sugars or fats, then will work together to produce a bioplastic polystyrene that will be similar to the top of a disposable coffee cup. The bioplastic resin will biodegrade within 6 to 12 months.

Why not invent the world's first permanent anti-fog coating able to stand up to repeated washings? The coating will be made permanent by the initial creation of a base of four layers of silicon molecules applied via an atmospheric plasma process. The layers will not only bond to each other, but also allow the anti-fog coating of polyvinyl alcohol to permanently bond to them, increasing the durability and hardness of the coating.