http://phys.org/news/2014-08-guidelines-solar-cells-surface-plasmon.html (Phys.org) —Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) have established guidelines for using surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) to improve absorption in both photovoltaic or photoelectrochemical cells used for energy conversion. In both types of photocells, SPPs (electromagnetic waves that travel along a metal-semiconductor interface) have the potential to increase the amount of light absorbed in the active material layer, improving the overall efficiency of light collection in solar energy devices.
