ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Plasmonic solar cell

Okay kiddo, do you know what a solar cell is? It's a device that can turn sunshine into electricity. But what about plasmonic solar cells? Well, they are special type of solar cells that use something called plasmons to help turn sunlight into electricity more efficiently.

Now, plasmons are like little waves that travel through certain kinds of metals, like gold or silver. And when those metals are put together in a certain way with other materials, they can help capture more of the energy in sunlight and turn it into electricity. That's because the plasmons can help concentrate the sunlight in a smaller area, which makes it easier for the solar cell to use that energy to make electricity.

So, imagine you have a magnifying glass and you use it to focus sunlight onto a small spot on the ground. The spot gets really hot, right? That's kind of how plasmonic solar cells work. They use the plasmons to concentrate the energy in sunlight onto a small area in the solar cell, which makes it easier for the cell to turn that energy into electricity.

Overall, plasmonic solar cells are a really cool way to get more energy from the sun and help us power things like our homes and cars with renewable energy.