Visible and Near-Infrared Broadband Absorber Based on Ti₃C₂T_x MXene-Wu

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Optics

Background:

• Broadband absorbers are crucial for applications like energy harvesting and stealth technology.
• Existing absorbers often face limitations in bandwidth, efficiency, or angular stability.
• MXene and noble metal nanostructures offer unique optical properties for absorber design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and analyze a high-absorption broadband absorber.
• To investigate the absorption characteristics in the visible and near-infrared spectrum.
• To explore the underlying physical mechanisms and design flexibility.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a composite absorber using MXene and tungsten nanospheres.
• Optical characterization of the absorber's performance.
• Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) simulations for theoretical analysis.
• Investigation of structural parameter effects on absorption.

Main Results:

• Achieved maximum absorption of 100% and average absorption of 95% from 400-2500 nm.
• Demonstrated effective tuning of absorption via structural parameters.
• Identified the synergistic effects of local surface plasmon resonance, gap surface plasmon resonance, and Fabry-Perot resonance.
• Confirmed insensitivity to polarization and high angular stability up to 60°.

Conclusions:

• The proposed MXene-tungsten nanosphere absorber offers excellent broadband absorption.
• The design exhibits remarkable stability under various incident conditions.
• This work provides a promising platform for developing efficient optical absorbers.