Lewis Center for the Arts

DURHAM, N.C. — New research suggests microscopic technology could help increase the efficiency of solar panels in the not-too-distant future. David Smith, a scientist at Duke University in Durham, N.C., and his team developed a metamaterial that has the unique property of maximizing the absorption of solar rays. A metamaterial is a substance that isn’t found in nature but is usually created by taking the blueprint for a previously existing element and altering it to create a new material with different properties.