An international team of researchers has found that a random, haphazardly grown tangle of silicon nanowires can significantly boost the power-producing capabilities of solar cells. The tangle is better able to trap a broad spectrum of light waves and sunlight streaming in from a wide variety of angles. The discovery may mean that spending the time and effort to get tiny nanowires to line up neatly on top of silicon wafers may not be worth the effort. The researchers found that the tangle captures light ranging in color from red to violet, and the randomly oriented wires continue to absorb light even as the angle of the sun changes throughout the day. The process is relatively inexpensive and could be scaled up for large manufacturing operations. The team next plans to create structures that are more ordered to test if the messy arrangement is truly better. Their work was described in the American Institute of Physics’ journal AIP Advances.
