A Study of Porous Polydimethylsiloxane/Au Nanoparticle Composites and Their Photothermal Conversion

Abstract

Solar energy-based photothermal conversion systems have attracted increasing research interest over the past several decades due to their environmentally friendly, sustainable and versatile advantages. Recent studies have reported strategies for achieving high energy conversion efficiencies using plasmon metal nanoparticles-based solar absorbers. In this study, porous polymers with multiple scattering properties and gold nanoparticles were composited using a simple and efficient method for high-performance solar harvesting. The prepared porous Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer was immersed in HAuCl4 solution to synthesize gold nanoparticles without additional reducing agent. Finally, the prepared PDMS/Au nanoparticle composite was irradiated with a stimulated sun light to induce photothermal conversion, and the generated heat was applied to the thermoelectric power generation system.