Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2485, 012003 (2023)

ISSN: 1742-6596

Optimization of TiN-based ultra- exible materials for photothermal and solar harvesting applications

Do T. Nga, Thudsaphungthong Julie, Chu Viet Ha, Chu Thuy Anh, Do Chi Nghia and Anh D. Phan

We propose a theoretical model to investigate photothermal heating of ultra- exible metamaterials, which are obtained by randomly mixing TiN nanoparticles in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Due to the plasmonic properties of TiN nanoparticles, incident light can be perfectly absorbed in a broadband range (300-3000 nm) to generate heat within these metamaterials. Under irradiation of an 808 nm near-infrared laser with dierent intensities, our predicted temperature rises as a function of time agree well with recent experimental data. For a given laser intensity, the temperature rise varies non-monotonically with the concentration of TiN nanoparticles. Increasing the TiN concentration leads to a decrease in the heating process since the thermal conductivity grows. A small TiN concentration signicantly reduces the absorbed energy and, thus, the system is less heated. When we apply this model to solar heating, we nd that the temperature rise is no longer non-monotonic, and the heating eciency is much lower than in the laser case. Our studies would provide good guidance for future experimental studies on the photothermal heating of broadband perfect absorbers.

DOI: doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2485/1/012003

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