AI designed nanostructure coating cuts solar reflection and boosts cell efficiency

AI designed nanostructure coating cuts solar reflection and boosts cell efficiency

by Clarence Oxford

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 02, 2025

Conventional silicon solar cells lose nearly half their potential light energy to surface reflection, but a new antireflective coating could dramatically reduce that loss. Researchers have developed a precision-engineered metasurface composed of a single ultrathin layer of polycrystalline silicon nanostructures, enhancing light absorption across a broad spectrum and incidence angles.

The new design, detailed in Advanced Photonics Nexus, combines forward and inverse computational strategies with artificial intelligence to produce a coating that minimizes reflection from 500 to 1200 nanometers. At direct light incidence, it reflects as little as 2 percent of sunlight, and just 4.4 percent at steep angles. These performance levels are unprecedented for single-layer antireflective solutions.

Unlike traditional coatings, which are limited to narrow frequency and angular ranges, this metasurface remains highly effective even when sunlight strikes at non-optimal angles. Its success stems from the fusion of innovative design algorithms and material simplicity, offering a new path to scalable solar panel upgrades.

The researchers emphasize the coating’s potential for mass production and integration into current photovoltaic manufacturing lines. By reducing reflection so efficiently with minimal added complexity, it may accelerate clean energy deployment worldwide.

Moreover, the approach represents a broader advance in metasurface engineering. It could spur multifunctional photonic coatings beneficial for applications in sensors, imaging systems, and other optical technologies.

Research Report:Forward and inverse design of single-layer metasurface-based broadband antireflective coating for silicon solar cells