Textured mirror limits light loss

Bundle microscopic glass fibers into a sheet of glass and selectively etch some of the fibers with chemicals and you have a mirror with a microscopically textured surface.

The mirror reflects only 3 percent of light back in the direction of the light source. The textured mirror could be used as the bottom layer in solar cells to increase the amount of light that stays in the cells.

Research paper:
Engineering Three-Dimensional Micromirror Arrays by Fiber-Drawing Nanomanufacturing for Solar Energy Conversion
Advanced Materials, published online September 1, 2008

Researchers' homepage:
Ming Su group

Back to ERN September 8/15, 2008

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Textured mirror limits light loss

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