Quasi‐Ordered Nanoforests with Hybrid Plasmon Resonances for Broadband Absorption and Photodetection

Abstract

With the continuing development of green energy technology, solar energy is the most widely distributed and easily utilized form of energy in nature. Highabsorption absorbers over a wide spectrum range are beneficial for solar energy harvest. Herein, a fast and efficient method is developed to fabricate a broadband absorber consisting of quasi-ordered nanoforests and metal nanoparticles using a simple plasma bombardment process on a 4-inch silicon wafer, offering high throughputs that can meet practical application demands. The absorber exhibits high absorption exceeding 90% from 300 to 2500 nm, good absorption stability with negligible disturbance from the polarization and the incident angle of light. This effective absorption behavior can be ascribed to multilevel hybridization of the plasmon resonances in the hybrid structures and cavity mode resonances inside the nanoforests. Furthermore, the absorber is integrated onto a thermopile for photodetection with largely enhanced photoresponse from 532 to 2200 nm. The photoinduced voltage of the devices shows a large increment of 433% at 100 mW cm −2 light power density, in comparison with a contrast pristine thermopile. It is expected that such a broadband absorber holds great potential for multiple applications, including solar steam generation, photodetection, and solar cells.

Engineering Surface Plasmons in Metal/Nonmetal Structures for Highly Desirable Plasmonic Photodetectors

“…Li et al designed Ag-quasiordered nanoforests (Ag-QNF) through a fast and efficient method by plasma bombardment on a silane coupling agent (SCA)-added polyimide (PI). 75 The Ag-QNF exhibits an average absorption higher than 90% from 300 nm to 2500 nm (Figure 3g), which was ascribed to the hybrid LSPR effect and the cavity mode resonances in the Ag-QNF, as well as the light trapping effect of the QNF (Figure 3h). Note that the broad absorption of Ag-QNF is independent of the polarization and the incident angle of light.…”

“…(h) Schematic illustration of the plasmon-enhanced light absorption within the Ag-QNF structures. [Panels (g) and (h) were reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright 2021, Wiley–VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, Germany.…”

“…In addition to the sufficient utilization of solar light, the multiple plasmon resonance modes in 3D plasmonic metal nanostructure also play a vital role in plasmonic photodetectors. Li et al designed Ag-quasi-ordered nanoforests (Ag-QNF) through a fast and efficient method by plasma bombardment on a silane coupling agent (SCA)-added polyimide (PI) . The Ag-QNF exhibits an average absorption higher than 90% from 300 nm to 2500 nm (Figure g), which was ascribed to the hybrid LSPR effect and the cavity mode resonances in the Ag-QNF, as well as the light trapping effect of the QNF (Figure h).…”

Reduced Graphene Oxide Decorated Cellulose Acetate Filter Evaporators for Highly Efficient Water Evaporation and Purification Driven by Solar Energy and Environmental Energy

“…[11] At present, the commonly used solar-thermal conversion materials include carbon-based materials, [12][13][14][15] organic polymers, [16,17] inorganic semiconductors, [18][19][20] and metal nanoparticles. [21,22] Among these materials, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is well suitable for solar-thermal energy conversion because of its outstanding solar light absorption, high specific surface area, and excellent thermal stability. [23] Huo et al [24] reported a nitrogendoped graphene/carbon hybrid aerogel for efficient solar steam generation, exhibiting excellent hydrophilicity for water supply and abundant micro-pores for vapor escape, achieving a water evaporation rate of 1.558 kg m −2 h −1 and confirming the significant potential of RGO in the area of photothermal conversion.…”

Nanoscale-Thick Silver Black Films Fabricated in He/Ar Inert Gas Conditions for Broadband Absorbers

“…Broadband light absorbers are highly desirable in various applications including photodetection, , photothermic conversion , and solar energy harvesting . There have been many reports on broadband light absorbers from the visible-to-IR wavelength range by various methods .…”