Microgap thermophotovoltaic systems with low emission temperature and high electric output

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel microgap thermophotovoltaic system enhanced by wire metamaterials, enabling high electric output at relatively low emitter temperatures through resonant near-field coupling.

Contribution

It introduces a new TPV design using wire metamaterials to achieve high efficiency at lower temperatures, combining theoretical analysis with innovative layered structures.

Findings

Resonant near-field coupling enhances radiative heat flux.

Wire metamaterials enable high electric output at low emitter temperatures.

Engineered layered structures optimize system performance.

Abstract

We theoretically show that a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system enhanced by a wire metamaterial opens the door to a prospective microgap thermophotovoltaics which will combine high electric output with relatively low temperatures of the emitter. The suggested system comprises an array of parallel metal nanowires grown on top of a photovoltaic semiconductor and standing free in the vacuum gap between the host dielectric layer and the emitter, so that their ends are sufficiently close to the emitting surface. Due to the resonant near-field coupling between this wire medium and the emitter and due to the optimized layered structure of the whole system, the strongly super-Planckian radiative heat flux of resonant nature is engineered.