Plasmonic Solar Cell

A plasmonic solar cell, more precisely a plasmonic-enhanced solar cell, is a type of solar cell, including thin-film or wafer-based designs, that converts light into electricity with the assistance of plasmons while the actual photovoltaic effect occurs in a separate material. Plasmonic-enhanced cells improve light absorption by scattering light using metal nanoparticles excited at their localized surface plasmon resonance, which helps thin-film cells overcome their characteristic weak absorption, including in the near-infrared region for silicon-based devices. A related design, the direct plasmonic solar cell, instead uses plasmons themselves as the active photovoltaic material: incoming light at the plasmon resonance frequency induces electron oscillations at the surface of nanoparticles, and those oscillating electrons are captured by a conductive layer to produce an electric current, with the resulting voltage depending on the conductive layer's bandgap and the potential of any electrolyte in contact with the nanoparticles. Considerable research remains necessary before these technologies reach their full potential and plasmonic solar cells can be commercialized.