amorphous
A solid that has an irregular, badly defined arrangement of atoms in it.
atom
The smallest particle of an element. It is made up of protons, electrons and neutrons.
compound
A substance containing atoms or ions of two or more elements that are chemically combined.
crystalline
A solid that has a regular arrangement of atoms in it.
current
The rate of flow of electric charge.
dye
A substance used to colour
electromagnetic radiation
The energy emitted by the sun which consists of gamma ray, x-ray, ultra-violet, visible light, infra-red, microwave and radio-wave regions, defined by the wavelength of the radiation.
electron
A negatively-charged particle found in an atom.
electron-transporter
A material that moves electrons from one place to another.
emit
To let out or release.
energy level
A definite stable energy that a system can have, e.g. an atom.
exciton
An electron-hole pair formed in a small space after absorption of energy.
fullerene
A molecule made from carbon atoms that is round in shape, like a football.
hole
The postively-charged space formed when an electron has left an atom or molecule.
hole-transporter
A material that moves positive “holes” from one place to another.
lattice
The arrangement of particles in a crystal.
luminescent
A material that emits light but not heat.
material
A substance or thing of which something is made of.
molecule
Two or more atoms bonded together. The atoms can be from the same element or different elements.
nanocrystal
A very small crystal that has dimensions on the nanometre scale, or 10-9 metres.
nanotechnology
Any technology that makes use of materials that are on the nanometre scale.
oxide
A compound of oxygen and another element.
parallel circuit
A circuit in which the power source is directly connected up to two or more components. If there is a break in the circuit, only the component in that particular circuit will be affected.
photon
A particle of light.
photovoltaic
Used to describe something that converts light energy into electrical energy.
polymer
A long chain of repeating units
properties
The behaviour and character of something.
proton
A postively charged particle found at the centre of an atom.
semiconductor
A substance that conducts electricity under certain conditions.
series circuit
A circuit in which the power source is connected up to the components one after another. If the circuit breaks anywhere, none of the components will work.
solar cell
A device that converts sunlight into electricity
total internal reflection
The way light can travel through a substance by bouncing off the “walls” of it so that the light is always confined within the substance.
titanium dioxide
A semiconductor consisting of a combination of the elements titanium and oxygen.
voltage
The potential difference or “push” between two points.
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