A powerful newly designed particle promises increased flexibility and efficiency in solar cells, potentially paving the way to bring solar technology to consumers on a mass scale.

Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering have designed and tested a new class of solar-sensitive nanoparticles called “collidial quantom dots.” Post-doctoral researcher Zhijun Ning and Professor Ted Sargent published their findings on the nanoparticles this week in the  Nature Materials journal.

“Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) offer promise in flexible electronics, light sensing and energy conversion,” the researchers wrote in the abstract to the journal article.

Quantum dots depend on two types of semiconductors, one of which, until now, essentially broke down when exposed to the air. Ning and Sargent claim their newly designed particle solves this problem by not binding to oxygen when exposed to air. These more stable quantum dots will hopefully lead to cheaper and more flexible solar cells, as well as better gas sensors, infrared lasers, infrared light emitting diodes and much more, according to the article.

“This is a material innovation, that’s the first part, and with this new material we can build new device structures,” said Ning in a news release. “Iodide is almost a perfect ligand for these quantum solar cells with both high efficiency and air stability—no one has shown that before.”

Ning and Sargent hope that once these powerful quantum dots are refined, they could be mixed into paint and used on thin flexible surfaces, such as roofing shingles, which will dramatically lower the cost and accessibility of solar power for millions of people.