High-Efficiency Omnidirectional Broadband Light-Management Coating Using the Hierarchical Ordered–Disordered Nanostructures with Ultra-Mechanochemical Resistance

High-efficient light-management nanostructures are critical to various optical applications. However, in practical implementation, these structures have been limited by the need to resist mechanical abrasion, erosion, chemical exposure, ultraviolet radiation, and performance deterioration by dust accumulation. To address these critical technological gaps, we herein report a conceptually different approach, employing a hierarchical nanostructure embedded with multilayer LightScribe-etched graphene, capable of omnidirectional broadband light management with both high optical transparency (>90%) and high haze (∼89%), ideal for photovoltaics, which simultaneously demonstrates extraordinary robustness to various environmental challenges ranging from mechanical abrasion, UV exposure, corrosions, outdoor exposures to resistance to dust accumulation. The reported nanostructures can be readily combined to any optoelectrical device's surface, and the practical tests on coated amorphous silicon solar cells show that it outperforms the state-of-the-art commercial coating by maintaining both 10% efficiency improvement along with the prevention of dust accumulation in contrast to 56.2% efficiency degradation with the commercial coating after the 1 month outdoor test.