Flexible thin-film black gold membranes with ultrabroadband plasmonic nanofocusing for efficient solar vapour generation

Kyuyoung Bae, Gumin Kang, Suehyun K. Cho, Wounjhang Park, Kyoungsik Kim () and Willie J. Padilla
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Kyuyoung Bae: School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University
Gumin Kang: School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University
Suehyun K. Cho: Computer & Energy Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering Program, University of Colorado
Wounjhang Park: Computer & Energy Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering Program, University of Colorado
Kyoungsik Kim: School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University
Willie J. Padilla: Duke University

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Solar steam generation has been achieved by surface plasmon heating with metallic nanoshells or nanoparticles, which have inherently narrow absorption bandwidth. For efficient light-to-heat conversion from a wider solar spectrum, we employ adiabatic plasmonic nanofocusing to attain both polarization-independent ultrabroadband light absorption and high plasmon dissipation loss. Here we demonstrate large area, flexible thin-film black gold membranes, which have multiscale structures of varying metallic nanoscale gaps (0–200 nm) as well as microscale funnel structures. The adiabatic nanofocusing of self-aggregated metallic nanowire bundle arrays produces average absorption of 91% at 400–2,500 nm and the microscale funnel structures lead to average reflection of 7% at 2.5–17 μm. This membrane allows heat localization within the few micrometre-thick layer and continuous water provision through micropores. We efficiently generate water vapour with solar thermal conversion efficiency up to 57% at 20 kW m−2. This new structure has a variety of applications in solar energy harvesting, thermoplasmonics and related technologies.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10103

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