Efficient gatherer of sunlight based on two-sided bio-inspired antireflective micro-pyramids with PPy/TiO2

The efficient gatherer of sunlight, based on two-sided, bio-inspired antireflective micro-pyramids with PPy/TiO2, fabricated by soft imprinting and self-assembly, is reported. The composite structure with pyramid profiles exhibits excellent antireflective, photoelectric and photocatalytic properties, extending the range of the material possible applications. [Display omitted] •Biomimetic structure with p-n junctions of PPy/TiO2 shows high antireflection capability.•The PPy/TiO2 coating can be applied in the photocatalytic self-cleaning field.•This method extends the material field of pyramid structure. Due to the interfacial reflection on the surface of the optoelectronic material and the device, the conversion efficiency to solar energy is limited. Here, a simple method of fabricating bio-inspired TiO2 micro-pyramids with polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles on both sides of glass was introduced. This bio-inspired structure, retarding the change of the refractive index from air to sample surface, was fabricated by soft lithography and self-assembly. The two-sided bio-inspired coating presents excellent antireflective performance and photocatalytic activity.