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Bioinspired phase-separated disordered nanostructures for thin photovoltaic absorbers
Radwanul H Siddique1, Yidenekachew J Donie2,3, Guillaume Gomard2,3
1Department of Medical Engineering, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), 1200 East California Boulevard, Mail Code 136-93, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
Science Advances
|October 24, 2017
Summary
Black butterfly wing structures inspire new solar cell designs. These bioinspired nanostructures significantly boost light absorption, enhancing thin-film solar cell efficiency across various angles.
Area of Science:
- Biomimicry
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Butterfly wings exhibit micro- and nanostructures for sunlight harvesting.
- These structures offer attractive properties for photovoltaic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- Analyze the contribution of structural disorder in butterfly wing scales.
- Design and fabricate bioinspired thin-film photovoltaic absorbers.
Main Methods:
- Microspectroscopy experiments and 3D optical simulations of wing scales.
- Fabrication of nanostructured absorbers using polymer mixture phase separation.
- Evaluation of light absorption properties at different incident angles.
Main Results:
- Disordered nanoholes in absorbers enhance light in-coupling and trapping.
- Bioinspired absorbers show significant absorption increases (90% at normal, 200% at large angles).
- Scalable self-assembly technique successfully fabricated nanopatterned absorbers.
Conclusions:
- Black butterfly wing structures provide a blueprint for efficient light harvesting.
- Bioinspired nanostructured absorbers hold great potential for thin-film solar cells.
- Structural disorder plays a key role in optimizing light absorption in photovoltaic devices.
