Coatings from zinc could replace rare earths in screens and solar cells

摘要

Costly and rare indium, used in solar cells, and screens for TVs, computers, and mobile phones, could be replaced with abundant and cheap zinc, according to scientists at Oxford University.Because of its combination of high transparency and high electrical conductivity, indium tin oxide (ITO) dominates the global market for coatings for solar cells and LCD displays. The market for the material is estimated to be worth $26.8bn by 2016.