Ultra-broadband perfect solar energy capturer based on hybrid mode coupling mechanism in a pagoda-shaped MXene metasurface

Abstract

MXene, a new two-dimensional absorption material, holds promise in various fields of photovoltaic and energy storage, while high-performance MXene-based solar absorbers have rarely been implemented. In this study, by constructing a pagoda-shaped nanodisk structure, an average absorptivity of up to 99.83% is achieved in the 400–1600 nm spectrum region. Due to the coupling of hybrid resonance modes including surface plasmon resonances, cavity resonances and guide-mode resonances in the unique layered nanodisk structure and the sandwiched dielectric SiO₂ layer, nearly 100% absorption of solar energy achieves. By discussing the influence of the main structural parameters on the absorber, our proposed absorber still has an average absorptivity of more than 99% supporting a good manufacturing tolerance. In addition, the absorber allows a wide incident angle of more than 50° and exhibits polarization-insensitive absorption characteristics. To evaluate the solar absorption capacity of the absorber, we calculated the solar absorption of the absorber under AM1.5 solar spectral radiation. The absorber achieves nearly 100% absorption of solar energy (400–1600 nm) and the maximum energy loss is only 0.0054 W/m²/nm at 532 nm. These results pave the way for efficient solar thermal utilization and interfacial photo-evaporation.