Moth Eyeballs Inspire Glare-Dimming Gold-Coating For Solar Panels
The glare from commonly used objects such as solar panels or electronics displays can be greatly reduced with the use of a newly developed transparent film black inspired by moth eyeballs.
The new film — created by researchers at UC Irvine — can also aid in the main tangency of a clean surface, as it can also keep grime in raindrops and other moisture from sticking.
“We found that a very simple process and a tiny bit of gold can turn a transparent film black,” stated UC Irvine chemistry professor Robert Corn, the lead researcher of the group that created a patterned polymer material based on the findings.
Humorously, the new material/film was discovered practically on accident — the researchers were even worried, initially, when they noticed what appeared to be soot on a flexible film they were designing to coat various products.
The University of California – Irvine provides more:
Via painstaking tests, though, the researchers realized that they’d accidentally discovered a way to fabricate a surface capable of eliminating glare.
To do it, the group etched a repeating pattern of cones modeled on moth eyeballs at the nanoscale on Teflon and other nonstick surfaces. They then applied a thin layer of gold over the cones and, voila, the shine from the gold and any light reflecting onto it was all but obliterated. The material is also highly hydrophobic, meaning it repels liquids.
Angry residents of Newport Beach, California; certain cities in England and Australia; and elsewhere have complained vociferously about neighbors installing highly reflective solar panels that unintentionally beam blinding sunlight onto their properties. In addition, troops risk enemy detection when sunshine bounces off weaponry. And cellphone displays can be unreadable in bright light. The new coating could solve these issues.
UC Irvine’s Office of Technology Alliances has filed a patent application for the work. “We’re excited about where this technology might lead and who could be interested in exploring the commercial opportunities that this new advancement presents,” stated senior licensing officer Doug Crawford.
The findings are detailed in two new papers, one published in Nano Letters, and one in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
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