Design and Modelling of Metal-Oxide Nanodisk Arrays for Structural Colors and UV-Blocking Functions in Solar Cell Glass Covers
We present a multifunctional structural coloration strategy for solar cell glass covers based on all-dielectric nanoscatterer arrays. Titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) nanostructures are designed to efficiently scatter in the visible and absorb in the UV region, making them suitable can...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Photonics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/9/5/273 |
| _version_ | 1797496537485410304 |
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| author | Albert Peralta Amores Ajith Padyana Ravishankar Srinivasan Anand |
| author_facet | Albert Peralta Amores Ajith Padyana Ravishankar Srinivasan Anand |
| author_sort | Albert Peralta Amores |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present a multifunctional structural coloration strategy for solar cell glass covers based on all-dielectric nanoscatterer arrays. Titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) nanostructures are designed to efficiently scatter in the visible and absorb in the UV region, making them suitable candidates as UV absorptive color coatings. Results from finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations on a square lattice of TiO<sub>2</sub> nanocylinders show that a rich palette in the reflected colors can be obtained by varying the period of the lattice. The reflected colors are narrow-banded, with a typical FWHM ~11–17 nm, leading to a minimal penalty on the amount of transmitted light. This narrow band reflectance is attributed to the interaction of Mie resonances between individual scatterers with their neighbors in the lattice. The color appearance, with viewing angles of ~45°, is maintained for incidence angles up to ~70°. With TiO<sub>2</sub> being transparent for a major part of silicon solar cells spectral response (400–1100 nm), a loss of ~4.5–9.2% in the short-circuit current has been estimated in the specified wavelength range, primarily due to the loss of photons in the reflected light. Furthermore, due to the inherent UV-absorption properties of TiO<sub>2</sub>, the proposed color-cover designs reduce the transmittance of UV radiation (320–400 nm) by up to ~63.70%, potentially preventing the degradation of the encapsulation materials and thus increasing the lifetime expectancy of a solar panel. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:05:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d342875c33bb400c8d3bbe73836eefb0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-6732 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:05:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Photonics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d342875c33bb400c8d3bbe73836eefb02023-11-23T12:39:52ZengMDPI AGPhotonics2304-67322022-04-019527310.3390/photonics9050273Design and Modelling of Metal-Oxide Nanodisk Arrays for Structural Colors and UV-Blocking Functions in Solar Cell Glass CoversAlbert Peralta Amores0Ajith Padyana Ravishankar1Srinivasan Anand2Department of Applied Physics, School of Engineering Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Albanova University Center, Roslagstullsbacken 21, SE-106 91 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Applied Physics, School of Engineering Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Albanova University Center, Roslagstullsbacken 21, SE-106 91 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Applied Physics, School of Engineering Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Albanova University Center, Roslagstullsbacken 21, SE-106 91 Stockholm, SwedenWe present a multifunctional structural coloration strategy for solar cell glass covers based on all-dielectric nanoscatterer arrays. Titanium dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) nanostructures are designed to efficiently scatter in the visible and absorb in the UV region, making them suitable candidates as UV absorptive color coatings. Results from finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations on a square lattice of TiO<sub>2</sub> nanocylinders show that a rich palette in the reflected colors can be obtained by varying the period of the lattice. The reflected colors are narrow-banded, with a typical FWHM ~11–17 nm, leading to a minimal penalty on the amount of transmitted light. This narrow band reflectance is attributed to the interaction of Mie resonances between individual scatterers with their neighbors in the lattice. The color appearance, with viewing angles of ~45°, is maintained for incidence angles up to ~70°. With TiO<sub>2</sub> being transparent for a major part of silicon solar cells spectral response (400–1100 nm), a loss of ~4.5–9.2% in the short-circuit current has been estimated in the specified wavelength range, primarily due to the loss of photons in the reflected light. Furthermore, due to the inherent UV-absorption properties of TiO<sub>2</sub>, the proposed color-cover designs reduce the transmittance of UV radiation (320–400 nm) by up to ~63.70%, potentially preventing the degradation of the encapsulation materials and thus increasing the lifetime expectancy of a solar panel.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/9/5/273metal-oxidesnanoscattererMie resonancestructural colorBIPVUV-absorption |
| spellingShingle | Albert Peralta Amores Ajith Padyana Ravishankar Srinivasan Anand Design and Modelling of Metal-Oxide Nanodisk Arrays for Structural Colors and UV-Blocking Functions in Solar Cell Glass Covers Photonics metal-oxides nanoscatterer Mie resonance structural color BIPV UV-absorption |
| title | Design and Modelling of Metal-Oxide Nanodisk Arrays for Structural Colors and UV-Blocking Functions in Solar Cell Glass Covers |
| title_full | Design and Modelling of Metal-Oxide Nanodisk Arrays for Structural Colors and UV-Blocking Functions in Solar Cell Glass Covers |
| title_fullStr | Design and Modelling of Metal-Oxide Nanodisk Arrays for Structural Colors and UV-Blocking Functions in Solar Cell Glass Covers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and Modelling of Metal-Oxide Nanodisk Arrays for Structural Colors and UV-Blocking Functions in Solar Cell Glass Covers |
| title_short | Design and Modelling of Metal-Oxide Nanodisk Arrays for Structural Colors and UV-Blocking Functions in Solar Cell Glass Covers |
| title_sort | design and modelling of metal oxide nanodisk arrays for structural colors and uv blocking functions in solar cell glass covers |
| topic | metal-oxides nanoscatterer Mie resonance structural color BIPV UV-absorption |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/9/5/273 |
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