Low reflectance of nano-patterned Pt-Cu-Ni-P bulk metallic glass

Abstract

Materials that exhibit very high absorption and low reflectance at optical frequencies are important in a variety of light harvesting applications. We explore nano-scale topography of bulk metallic glasses to realize metallic surfaces with controllable reflectance. Diffuse reflectance as low as 1.6% in the visible range is achieved with nano-patterned Pt-based model bulk metallic glass without further optimization. Effect of pattern dimensions (size, spacing, and aspect-ratio) on the reflectance of bulk metallic glasses is investigated using a combination of simulation and experiments.