Numerical Study of Graphene‐Based Wideband Solar Absorber using MIM Structure for Solar Thermal Energy Conversion

Abstract

AbstractA super‐wideband solar energy absorber (SWBSEA) design is proposed in this research. In order to achieve high absorption in the design, a thin film of graphene is also used as a substrate coating that is exposed to the medium of air. The metal‐insulator‐metal (MIM) is designed with a Ti‐SiO2‐TiN structure. The fractal interwoven shape (FIS) resonator layer is constructed of titanium material, which is based on a layer of silicon dioxide, and a ground layer of titanium nitride. The spectrum of solar radiation that is typically absorbed spans from the Ultraviolet (UV) to Mid‐infrared (MIR) range, with 92.81% average absorption. The absorption bandwidth of 0.61 µm is achieved with 96.21% average absorption. The designed solar absorber has a wide angle of incidence ranging from 0° to 80°. The design is also polarization insensitive for Transverse Electric (TE) and Transverse Magnetic (TM) waves. The created SWBSEA solar absorber design is extremely effective, polarization, and angle‐insensitive, and offers broadband absorptance that may be put into the solar cell as an absorber and is frequently utilized in heating, drying, and photovoltaic applications.