Thin-film MXene-based metamaterial absorber design for solar cell applications

A MXene-based metamaterial absorber is proposed with an operational frequency range of 300-714 THz for improving absorbance capability of solar cells. It has four metallic strips together with a central patch symmetrically positioned on top of the Ti3C2Tx MXene material, which is a new member of two-dimensional materials family, and a ground metallic plate at the bottom. The effect of its geometrical parameters is examined to optimize its absorbance capability. Spatial distributions of electric and magnetic fields in addition to spatial distribution of current density are evaluated for four different resonance frequencies (380 THz, 450 THz, 525 THz, and 600 THz) to understand resonance mechanism of the absorber. Finally, performance of the absorber for various mode configurations (TE mode, TM mode, and TEM mode) versus incidence angle is evaluated to assess its conformity for solar cell applications.