Black Butterfly Enhances Photovoltaic Light Absorption Up to 200 PercentNew research focuses on the
Black Butterfly Enhances Photovoltaic Light Absorption Up to 200 PercentNew research focuses on the wings of the black butterfly (Pachliopta aristolochiae), which are covered by micro- and nanostructured scales that harvest sunlight over a wide spectral and angular range, to improve photovoltaics.Sunlight reflected by solar cells is lost as unused energy. The wings of the butterfly Pachliopta aristolochiae are drilled by nanostructures (nanoholes) that help absorbing light over a wide spectrum far better than smooth surfaces. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now succeeded in transferring these nanostructures to solar cells and, thus, enhancing their light absorption rate by up to 200 percent. The scientists report their results in the journal Science Advances.“The butterfly studied by us is very dark black. This signifies that it perfectly absorbs sunlight for optimum heat management. Even more fascinating than its appearance are the mechanisms that help reaching the high absorption. The optimization potential when transferring these structures to photovoltaics (PV) systems was found to be much higher than expected,” says Dr. Hendrik Hölscher of KIT’s Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT).Read more. -- source link
#materials science#science#photovoltaics#biomimicry#nanostructures#structures#nanotechnology#solar power#silicon#surfaces