A lead test based on solar cell technology
November 27 2023 – AMOLF researchers have used the special properties of perovskite semiconductors to develop a simple spray test to demonstrate the presence of lead. Perovskite is a material suitable for use in LEDs and solar cells, for example. A lead-containing surface shines bright green when it is sprayed with the test. This test is 1000 times more sensitive than existing tests and the researchers found no false positive or false negative results. The study was published on November 27th in the scientific journal Environmental Science and Technology.
A spin-off of this research is the company Lumetallix. With AMOLF, they jointly hold an international patent on the process and development of a universal test kit. This is both affordable and easy to use for everybody who wants to know whether lead is present in the living environment.
