December 9, 2012 — As the components of solar collectors get smaller, ideas about how to apply them grow. Notre Dame scientist Matthew Genovese and colleagues recently developed a liquid suspension of sunlight-capturing nanoparticles that can be applied to a surface to create a thin layer that transforms energy from the sun into electricity. Called “Sunbelievable,” the coating still needs perfecting to become practical, with efficiencies in the range of 1 percent. But the proof of concept takes the idea of painting the town with solar closer to reality.