N.C. Scott, L. Micklow, R. McDonald, S. Furst
Smart Material Solutions, LLC,
United States
Keywords: scalable manufacturing, roll-to-roll processing, nanofabrication, solar energy, infrared
Summary:
Smart Material Solutions (SMS) uses scalable nanomanufacturing to fabricate large-area nanostructured surfaces for applications ranging from light-trapping coatings that increase the efficiency of solar panels to spatially varying emissivity films for infrared camouflage. Our approach combines nanocoining – our high-speed process to seamlessly nanopatterns the outside of cylindrical molds – with roll-to-roll nanoimprint lithography (R2R NIL). Nanocoining nanopatterns molds hundreds of times faster than electron-beam lithography, dramatically reducing cost and enabling continuous, high-throughput replication of nanostructured surfaces. Our approach overcomes the scalability barrier that has historically limited the commercialization of advanced metamaterials. We will highlight two classes of manufacturable metamaterials: light-trapping nanocoatings for solar panels and infrared (IR) metasurfaces. Our solar coatings increase daily power output by up to 10% by directing more light into the panel while simultaneously reducing losses from soiling. In collaboration with PowerFilm Solar, SMS has fabricated prototype panels incorporating these films, including both flexible amorphous silicon panels and foldable crystalline silicon panels. In parallel, SMS has developed a range of IR metasurfaces, including plasmonic absorbers with strong, tunable absorption spectra and variable emissivity films that can conceal objects in the infrared.