Lithography-free polarization insensitive and wide-angle solar absorber operating in wide spectrum

Abstract

The largest source of renewable energy on Earth is Sun. Metamaterial can convert solar radiation into useful thermal energy. Therefore, it would be valuable for use in several practical applications, such as thermal photovoltaics, sensing, and heat generation. This work investigates a wideband solar absorber using the lithography-free approach to attain high absorption efficiency when operating in the visible and near-infrared spectrum range. The proposed unit cell comprises a stacking layer structure made of MXene/SiO2. As a results, an average absorptivity of 90 % is depicted within the 400-200 nm. Further, the lithography-free planar layered design shows insensitivity to polarized waves and stability to the wide obliquity of the incidence wave. This work shows its potential for utilizing it in light-to-thermal conversion and thermal imaging-based applications.