This new development in solar panel related technology isn’t an expensive toy or status symbol for the rich person who has everything.
University of California, Irvine scientists are using gold for coatings on solar panels and other devices to reduce glare.
While it may sound like a rather expensive way to go about glare reduction, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
“We found that a very simple process and a tiny bit of gold can turn a transparent film black,” said UC Irvine chemistry professor Robert Corn; a leader in the development and application of surface-sensitive spectroscopies.
It seems the discovery was somewhat accidental. While testing a flexible film Professor Corn and his team were designing to coat various products; they noticed a sooty substance on the film. Subsequent testing revealed its glare elimination capabilities and another bonus – keeping grime in raindrops and other moisture from sticking to the surface.
The team then employed some biomimicry principles by etching a repeating pattern of cones modelled on moth eyeballs. Other researchers have also used moth eye structures in the past. They then applied a thin layer of gold over this structure and found any light reflecting onto it was “all but obliterated”.
The gold nanocone arrays exhibit a reflectivity of less than 1% over a wide spectral range (450–900 nm) and a wide range of incident angles (0–70°).
The technology could be of particular benefit in scenarios where glare from solar panels has caused some angst. It could also be used for cell phone displays; which can be unreadable in bright light. Additionally, the coating could be used in a battlefield situation; where a reflection can attract unwanted and deadly attention.
UC Irvine’s Office of Technology Alliances has filed a patent application for their invention. “We’re excited about where this technology might lead and who could be interested in exploring the commercial opportunities that this new advancement presents,” said senior licensing officer Doug Crawford.
The team’s work has been previously reported in Nano Letters.
