To harness the full spectrum of solar energy, Fresnel reflection at the surface of a solar cell must be eliminated over the entire solar spectrum and at all angles. Here, we show that a multilayer nanostructure having a graded-index profile, as predicted by theory [J. Opt. Soc. Am. 66, 515 (1976); Appl. Opt. 46, 6533 (2007)], can accomplish a near-perfect transmission of all-color of sunlight. An ultralow total reflectance of 1%-6% has been achieved over a broad spectrum, lambda = 400 to 1600 nm, and a wide range of angles of incidence, theta = 0 degrees-60 degrees . The measured angle- and wavelength-averaged total reflectance of 3.79% is the smallest ever reported in the literature, to our knowledge.

comprises materials and devices that can fulfill just this dual ionic-electronic capability. Iontronics utilize the coupling of electrical and ionic signals in conducing polymers, leading to, for example, organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), [2] electrolyte-gated (also known as electric doublelayer capacitor-gated) organic field-effect transistors (EGOFETs), [3,4] organic electrochemical biosensors, [5,6] and iontronic delivery electrodes and devices. [7][8][9][10][11] In iontronic delivery devices (Figure 1), chemical gradients are created by controlled release of charged biomolecules (ions) at specific locations at specific times. [7,8,12] Ions are transported to these release sites through ionic conductors due to applied electric fields between electrodes. The ionic conductors form the foundation of iontronic resistors (organic electronic ion pumps, OEIPs), diodes, and transistors which can be combined into circuits for, for example, multiplexing, addressing, and signal processing. These iontronic circuits behave analogous to traditional electronics, but use ions as charge carriers rather than electrons, and allow for the development of fully chemical systems generating complex signal patterns at high spatiotemporal resolution and biochemical specificity.There are several other techniques for electronic control of substance release, drug delivery, or ion transport related to this form of iontronics. These include techniques such as microfluidic and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based micropumps, [13] iontophoresis, [14,15] and organic electronic redox-mediated controlled release. [11,16] In comparison to these technologies, iontronic drug delivery provides a means of simultaneously achieving high delivery precision, minimal (or zero) liquid transport that could interfere with fragile biochemical microenvironments, continuous resupply of the transported substance, and (in principle) exact control over delivered amounts, even at speeds on par with synaptic signaling. In addition, as they are based on well-established solid-state device manufacturing techniques, iontronic components and systems can be miniaturized, addressed, and integrated with complex electronic systems in a straightforward manner. These features of iontronics combine to enable the lowest dose possible. With other techniques for substance release and transport, larger doses are often distributed (usually in solution phase) with less control, which could result in unwanted side effects. Other technologies have their advantages primarily in potentially simpler device design, the ability to transport larger molecules (e.g., In contrast to electronic systems, biology rarely uses electrons as the signal to regulate functions, but rather ions and molecules of varying size. Due to the unique combination of both electronic and ionic/molecular conductivity in conjugated polymers and polyelectrolytes, these materials have emerged as an excellent tool for translating signals between these two realms, hence the field of organic bioelectroni...

We propose an analytic model that accurately predicts the porosity and deposition rate of nanoporous films grown by oblique-angle deposition. The model employs a single fitting parameter and takes into account geometrical factors as well as surface diffusion. We have determined the porosity and deposition rate from the measured refractive index and thickness of SiO2 and indium tin oxide nanoporous films deposited at various incident angles. Comparison of experimental data with the model reveals excellent agreement. The theoretical model allows for the predictive control of refractive index, porosity, and deposition rate for a wide range of deposition angles and materials.

Designs of multilayer antireflection coatings made from co-sputtered and low-refractive-index materials are optimized using a genetic algorithm. Co-sputtered and low-refractive-index materials allow the fine-tuning of refractive index, which is required to achieve optimum anti-reflection characteristics. The algorithm minimizes reflection over a wide range of wavelengths and incident angles, and includes material dispersion. Designs of antireflection coatings for silicon-based image sensors and solar cells, as well as triple-junction GaInP/GaAs/Ge solar cells are presented, and are shown to have significant performance advantages over conventional coatings. Nano-porous low-refractive-index layers are found to comprise generally half of the layers in an optimized antireflection coating, which underscores the importance of nano-porous layers for high-performance broadband and omnidirectional antireflection coatings.

An optimized four‐layer tailored‐ and low‐refractive index anti‐reflection (AR) coating on an inverted metamorphic (IMM) triple‐junction solar cell device is demonstrated. Due to an excellent refractive index matching with the ambient air by using tailored‐ and low‐refractive index nanoporous SiO2 layers and owing to a multiple‐discrete‐layer design of the AR coating optimized by a genetic algorithm, such a four‐layer AR coating shows excellent broadband and omnidirectional AR characteristics and significantly enhances the omnidirectional photovoltaic performance of IMM solar cell devices. Comparing the photovoltaic performance of an IMM solar cell device with the four‐layer AR coating and an IMM solar cell with the conventional SiO2/TiO2 double layer AR coating, the four‐layer AR coating achieves an angle‐of‐incidence (AOI) averaged short‐circuit current density, JSC, enhancement of 34.4%, whereas the conventional double layer AR coating only achieves an AOI‐averaged JSC enhancement of 25.3%. The measured reflectance reduction and omnidirectional photovoltaic performance enhancement of the four‐layer AR coating are to our knowledge, the largest ever reported in the literature of solar cell devices.