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Metallic nanoparticles can direct light better into the solar cell and prevent light from escaping. In conventional 'thick-film' solar cells, the nanoparticles would have little effect because all the light is absorbed by the film due to its thickness. For thin films, however, the nanoparticles can make a big difference.

That's an important discovery for looking further into earth-abundant, non-toxic materials that could help make solar cells inexpensive and absorb sunlight more efficiently than silicon, Prieto said.

The University of Toronto Edward S Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering researchers in Canada have developed and demonstrated a new class of solar-sensitive nanoparticle.