Microfiber Optic Arrays as Top Coatings for Front-Contact Solar Cells toward Mitigation of Shading Loss

Chen, Fu-Hao; Biria, Saeid; Li, Hansheng; Hosein, Ian D.

doi:10.1021/acsami.9b17803

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…When such arrays of slabs are overlaid on a solar cell, they also redirect light away from front contacts and increase energy conversion. Another approach is through the growth of vertically aligned microfiber optic arrays which can be overlaid on a solar cell, which also increases energy conversion . One other application has used the filaments and their interactions for computing and data storage, with the polymer medium itself able to perform the computations and store information. , …”

Section: Recent Work On Self-trapping and Self-writing Polymer Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Light-Directed Organization of Polymer Materials from Photoreactive Formulations

Hosein

2020

Chem. Mater.

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This perspective presents a recently developed approach to organize polymer and polymer composite materials through a new form of light-directed organization of photoreactive polymeric media. Under suitable conditions, such media will interact with light, in a mutual dynamic process, that results in the spontaneous organization of both the input light field and, importantly, the polymer media. New material structures can be created in free-radical-initiated media, polymer blends and polymer−solvent mixtures, as well as possibly more complex, multicomponent formulations. An overview of the underlying principles and chemical phenomena and exemplary material structures are presented. Materials produced using this new processing approach can be used as functional coatings, textured surfaces, and membranes, as well as a host of other applications via selection of polymer composition. Key open questions and areas for further inquiry and advancement are presented. Coupling the dynamics of light pattern formation processes to photoreactive matter is a promising new approach to the organization of materials for a range of critical applications and reveals interesting nonlinear dynamic phenomena in the organization of materials.

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Section: Recent Work On Self-trapping and Self-writing Polymer Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Light-Directed Organization of Polymer Materials from Photoreactive Formulations

Hosein

2020

Chem. Mater.

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“… 18 , 22 − 27 Other experimental works employed light-induced self-writing (LISW) and light-induced fiber/rod growth to fabricate 2D and 3D structures. 12 , 28 − 32 The deployment of multiple arrays of optical beams in polymer blends is thus intriguing for the organization of multicomponent media into more complex structures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulations of Structure and Morphology in Photoreactive Polymer Blends under Multibeam Irradiation

Ding

Hosein

2022

J. Phys. Chem. C

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We present a theoretical study of the organization of photoreactive polymer blends under irradiation by multiple arrays of intersecting optical beams. In a simulated medium possessing an integrated intensity-dependent refractive index, optical beams undergo self-focusing and reduced divergence. A corresponding intensity-dependent increase in molecular weight induces polymer blend instability and consequent phase separation, whereby the medium can evolve into an intersecting waveguide lattice structure, comprising high refractive index cylindrical cores and a surrounding low refractive index medium (cladding). We conduct simulations for two propagation angles and a range of thermodynamic, kinetic, and polymer blend parameters to establish correlations to structure and morphology. We show that spatially correlated structures, namely, those that have a similar intersecting three-dimensional (3D) pattern as the arrays of intersecting optical beams, are achieved via a balance between the competitive processes of photopolymerization rate and phase separation dynamics. A greater intersection angle of the optical beams leads to higher correlations between structures and the optical beam pattern and a wider parameter space that achieves correlated structures. This work demonstrates the potential to employ complex propagating light patterns to create 3D organized structures in multicomponent photoreactive soft systems.

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“…The bump-like shape of the structures is due to the significant sideway scattering of light by the NPs, which is expected in NP-dense formulations. In systems without NPs, the same approach leads to pillar-like morphologies ,, owing to a more forward propagation of light as opposed to sideways. Besides pattern generation, photopolymerization also induces phase separation of NPs toward the surface.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Superhydrophobic Polymer Composite Surfaces Developed via Photopolymerization

Pathreeker

Chando

Chen

et al. 2021

ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.

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Fabrication of superhydrophobic materials using incumbent techniques involves several processing steps and is therefore either quite complex, not scalable, or often both. Here, the development of superhydrophobic surface-patterned polymer–TiO 2 composite materials using a simple, single-step photopolymerization-based approach is reported. The synergistic combination of concurrent, periodic bump-like pattern formation created using irradiation through a photomask and photopolymerization-induced nanoparticle (NP) phase separation enables the development of surface textures with dual-scale roughness (micrometer-sized bumps and NPs) that demonstrate high water contact angles, low roll-off angles, and desirable postprocessability such as flexibility, peel-and-stick capability, and self-cleaning capability. The effect of nanoparticle concentration on surface porosity and consequently nonwetting properties is discussed. Large-area fabrication over an area of 20 cm 2 , which is important for practical applications, is also demonstrated. This work demonstrates the capability of polymerizable systems to aid in the organization of functional polymer–nanoparticle surface structures.

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Microfiber Optic Arrays as Top Coatings for Front-Contact Solar Cells toward Mitigation of Shading Loss

Cited by 15 publications

References 28 publications

Light-Directed Organization of Polymer Materials from Photoreactive Formulations

Light-Directed Organization of Polymer Materials from Photoreactive Formulations

Simulations of Structure and Morphology in Photoreactive Polymer Blends under Multibeam Irradiation

Superhydrophobic Polymer Composite Surfaces Developed via Photopolymerization

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