Efficiency Improvement of Energy Harvesting Device Using Light Pressure Through Plasmon Coupling at the Interface Between Grained Ag Layer and Au Nanoparticles

• Published in: Advanced optical materials 2024-02, Vol.12 (5), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Jang, Jun‐Hyeon, Lee, Ha Young, Ryu, Jae‐Hoon, Lee, Jeong‐Yeon, Kim, Sung‐Hyun, Hwang, Sun‐Lyeong, Ahn, Hyung Soo, Ha, Dong Han, Yi, Sam Nyung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Au nanoparticles (AuNPs); Electric fields; Electric generators; Energy harvesting; Finite difference time domain method; Gold; Incident light; Lead zirconate titanates; light pressure; Maximum power density; Nanoparticles; piezoelectric effect; Piezoelectricity; plasmon coupling; Radiation; Radiation pressure; Raman spectra; Silver; Solar radiation
• ISSN: 2195-1071; 2195-1071
• DOI: 10.1002/adom.202301795

Electricity generation using the piezoelectric effect is an important energy harvesting method. In this study, a solar radiation pressure‐driven crater‐shaped light pressure electric generator (LPEG) device with a Pb(Zr0.52, Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) piezoelectric layer and grained Ag layer is fabricated on GaAs(100) wafer. The electrical output of the device is improved by adsorbing Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the Ag layer with the surface of closely connected Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs). By controlling the size and concentration of the AuNPs, a maximum power density of 867.5 µW cm−2 is obtained under a solar simulator (AM 1.5G), which represents a 151.7% improvement over the case without AuNP adsorption. The results of Raman spectra, finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) simulations, and COMSOL Multiphysics demonstrate that the newly formed hotspots between AgNPs─AuNPs and AuNPs─AuNPs enhance the electric field of the incident light significantly and extend the region where the electric field is maximally amplified to 600–800 nm, resulting in increased solar radiation pressure on the PZT piezoelectric layer. Localized surface plasmons that can amplify the electric field intensity are generated at the interface between the grained Ag layer and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). When sunlight is illuminated inside the crater, light pressure caused by the amplified intensity of the electric field is applied to PZT, a piezoelectric material, resulting in the generation of electrical energy.