Researchers from Stanford University have successfully created a new nano structure that is thousand times thinner than paper, making it the thinnest light-absorber ever.
These light absorbers are capable of absorbing close to nearly 100 percent visible light originating from specific wavelengths. According to researchers, these record-breaking nano structures can be used to create cheaper solar cells among other things.
"Much like a guitar string, which has a resonance frequency that changes when you tune it, metal particles have a resonance frequency that can be fine-tuned to absorb a particular wavelength of light," Carl Hagglund, lead author of the study said in a press release. "We tuned the optical properties of our system to maximize the light absorption."
The structure included ultrathin wafers that were coated with trillions of round gold nanodots, essentially small spherical magnets. Each wafer contained approximately 520 billion nanodots per square inch. After the coating, the wafers were given an extra layer of film, which determined the specific light frequency the absorber is designed to capture. While testing the light-absorber, researchers noted that it was capable of absorbing 99 percent of light generated by a wavelength measuring 600 nanometers long.
Previous light-absorber technologies used film three times thicker to absorb the same amount of light. According to researchers of the study, this new nano structure has the potential to bring about a revolution in the world of solar cell manufacturing by increasing its efficiency. Also, since the new structure requires less material, it can make solar cell technology more affordable.
"We are now looking at building structures using ultrathin semiconductor materials that can absorb sunlight," Stacey Bent, co-director of the Stanford Center on Nanostructuring for Efficient Energy Conversion (CNEEC) said in the same statement. "These prototypes will then be tested to see how efficiently we can achieve solar energy conversion."
Results of the study were published in the current online edition of the journal, Nano Letters.
