Abstract
It is important to develop solar cells that can capture and utilize omnidirectional light in urban environments, where photovoltaic (PV) devices are installed in fixed directions. We report a new design for such light capture, which mimics the structure of a leaf epidermis. First, we analyzed the epidermal structures of different plant species in detail so that we could copy them and fabricate light-trapping layers with different shapes: as lens arrays, pillars, and lens arrays with rough surfaces. Then we analyzed the results of two-dimensional ray-tracing simulations of perfectly aligned and Gaussian-scattered incident light in terms of light-trapping capabilities. Based on these results, we prepared high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells with light-trapping layers that exhibited omnidirectional light capturing functionality. Our layers enhanced the efficiency of obliquely incident light capture by 70%. Therefore, we expect that new possibilities for next-generation PVs, extending beyond the current rigid concepts, will arise upon the application of these results and from findings that build on these results.
Highlights
To this end, leaf anatomy, which includes a cuticle layer, upper epidermal structures, palisade cells, and spongy cells[6,7,8], could be good source of inspiration
We investigated the epidermal structures of different plant species in detail so that we could copy them and fabricate light-trapping layers with different shapes: as lens arrays, pillars, and lens arrays with rough surfaces
Incident photons encounter epidermal cells first, and these cells affect the path along which photons travel as they traverse the epidermis and are absorbed into the leaf structure
Summary
Cells in the epidermis play a role in controlling the distribution of light to palisade cells, where most of the photosynthesis process takes place. Diffused incoming light focused at the same point was distributed homogeneously into each pattern by the light-trapping layers made of lens arrays with different shapes This resulted in similar intensities across the whole area. These results confirm that the light-trapping layers deliver critical omnidirectional light-trapping capabilities, confirming their expected role in leaf anatomy, and that light-trapping performance varies according to their shape. This will help us determine the best-performing light-trapping layer
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