Review on Graphene-based Absorbers for Infrared to Ultraviolet Frequencies

Abstract

The graphene-based absorbers are widely applicable and highly efficient. Graphene has very high electrochemical properties due to which tuning characteristics can be achieved with efficient and broadband absorption response. For this review paper, we have divided the graphene-based absorbers into three categories (Absorber sensors, Solar absorbers, and THz absorbers) based on their applications. We have presented a detailed discussion on various designs and their analysis in this paper. Absorber sensors are mainly applicable in biosensors for the detection of hemoglobin, urine biomolecules using the tuning properties of graphene, and are also applicable in medical, environmental, chemical, biological diagnostic applications. Solar absorbers are applicable in energy harvesting devices. Adding graphene layer in solar absorber design gives the highly efficient and broadband absorption response. THz absorbers are applicable in the THz applications in sensing and imaging devices. Some of the THz absorbers are improving the applications in the new field of nano-optics with 2D material. Graphene and its excellent electrical and optical properties are applied in material designs which create new structures applicable in novel applications like sensing, imaging, solar energy harvesting, etc.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited.