Mimics Moth Eye Nanostructure to Exhibit Ultra-Low Light Reflection
This bioinspired black nickel coating employs moth-eye gratings on silicon as structural templates, dramatically exhibiting ultra-low light reflection. Black nickel coatings are widely used for electrodes, solar cells, electrolysis systems, and catalysis. Antireflective coatings are extensively used in numerous applications across various industries. Researchers have drawn inspiration from unique nanostructures found in living organisms such as the eyes of moths and wings of cicadas to fabricate antireflective nanostructures on metal surfaces. These biological surfaces possess ordered hexagonal arrays of nanoscale features that effectively suppress light reflection. Compared with conventional surfaces, moth-eye nanostructures provide a large specific surface area and can effectively enhance photoelectric conversion efficiency.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a bioinspired black nickel coating that exhibits ultra-low light reflection while providing a substantially increased surface area. Additionally, these coatings can be applied in electrodes, electrolysis, and photocatalysis. The resulting black nickel films demonstrate significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER), creating opportunities in renewable energy, electrochemical manufacturing, and sustainable technologies.
Application
Bioinspired black nickel coatings exhibit ultra-low light reflection across a broad range of visible and near-infrared (IR) wavelengths, making them attractive for photovoltaics, photocatalysis, electrochemical energy conversion, and advanced optical devices
Advantages
- Exhibits ultra-low light reflection, increasing light harvesting and device efficiency
- Improves coatings with large surface areas, benefiting electrocatalytic activities for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions
- Has great technological importance in many electrochemical, catalytic, photovoltaic, and optical applications, illustrating its value in the market
- Combines antireflective and electrochemical functionalities within a single scalable coating platform
Technology
Black metal films with low light reflection are of major technological importance in many applications, for example, efficient electrode materials for solar cells, photocatalysts, and electrochemical devices. Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a fabrication technique for black nickel coatings inspired by the nanostructure of a moth’s eye. Moth eyes have a unique antireflective coating, reducing light reflection to nearly zero. Their eyes have a thin, non-tightly packed layer of hexagonal arrays of nanostructures on the surface of their eyes, with heights and spacings below 300 nm. The arrays of the surfaces create a gradual transition of reflective index from the surface to the air, reducing reflections over a broad range of wavelengths and angles of incidence. The resulting black nickel coatings exhibit ultra-low light reflection and substantially enhanced surface area, enabling improved optical and electrocatalytic performance.
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