Light Management with Patterned Micro‐ and Nanostructure Arrays for Photocatalysis, Photovoltaics, and Optoelectronic and Optical Devices

Abstract

The design and fabrication of patterned micro‐ and nanostructure arrays have been demonstrated to be a powerful strategy toward efficient light management, which is of vital importance to a variety of photon‐related applications such as photocatalysis, photovoltaics, optoelectronic devices, and optical devices. Tunable optical reflectance, scattering, transmittance, and absorption can be readily achieved by adjusting the characteristics of the primary units in the micro‐/nanoarrays and the spatial patterns of the aligned units, thus realizing controllable light–matter interactions. This review describes various light management strategies based on patterned micro‐/nanoarrays, such as scattering enhancement, antireflection, resonances, photonic crystals, and plasmonic structures. Furthermore, recent advances in the applications of patterned micro‐/nanoarrays in photoelectrochemical water splitting, solar cells, photodetectors, light emitting diodes, lasers, color display, microlens arrays, and photonic crystal sensors are summarized, with particular attention paid to the light management mechanisms and the relationship between the structure and device performance. Lastly, the prospects and existing challenges facing the development of the photon‐related applications based on patterned micro‐/nanoarrays are discussed.

Metal/semiconductor interfaces in nanoscale objects: synthesis, emerging properties and applications of hybrid nanostructures

“…We refer the reader for additional light management and manipulation strategies of metallic features such as incorporation into charge-selective layers, reective surfaces and additional relevant aspects of plasmonics elsewhere. [377][378][379][380][381] Combining these two approaches, as mentioned above, results in the incorporation of M/SC HNSs in a polymer blend, which increases the absorption of a thin active layer using both the SC property and the plasmonic effect. For example, Au/ Cu 2Àx S Janus particles with enhanced absorption in the 500-700 nm range were incorporated into an organic solar cell blend (specically, into a bulk heterojunction cell (BJC), with the HNS being mixed into the P1:PC 71 BM blend, reaching PCE values of almost 5%).…”

Rapid Capillary‐Assisted Solution Printing of Perovskite Nanowire Arrays Enables Scalable Production of Photodetectors

“…[13][14][15][16] Moreover,t he alignment of perovskite NWs into ordered arrays at well-defined locations can enhance the current output and active area in conjunction with better uniformity and reproducibility than randomly distributed NWs.N otably,t he implementation of solutionprinted perovskite one-dimensional nanostructures may contribute to efficient light management and impart new functionalities due to their anisotropic geometry,l arge surface-to-volume ratio,a nd charge carrier confinement in two dimensions. [17][18][19] Fori nstance,p erovskite NWs with high aspect ratios can function as polarization-sensitive photodetectors. [19,20] Moreover,the use of micro-and nano-patterns to assist the solution-printing of perovskites and facilitate the positioning of the resulting perovskite nanostructures may allow their advanced applications in the fields of photodetectors,FETs,and lasers.…”

Ordered array structures for efficient perovskite solar cells

“…It increases internal scattering, reduces light loss caused by front surface reflection and escape of unabsorbed light, and causes a surface plasmonic resonance effect to capture the incident light, thereby effectively improving light harvesting efficiency. 11,29 Meanwhile, the ordered array structures have also been found to provide a direct carrier transport pathway, which facilitates charge transport and thus reduces charge recombination. 21,26 More importantly, the ordered array structures have open channels and large surface to volume ratio, allowing perovskite penetrate into the CTL layer and improving the interfacial contact area between perovskite and CTL, which also helps to carriers transport.…”