Bi2Te3/Si thermophotovoltaic cells converting low temperature radiation into electricity

TL;DR

This paper presents Bi2Te3/Si thermophotovoltaic cells capable of converting low temperature blackbody radiation into electricity, highlighting their potential despite low output power and the influence of material properties.

Contribution

The study introduces Bi2Te3/Si thermophotovoltaic cells that operate at low temperatures and investigates how material properties affect their performance.

Findings

Cells can generate electricity at 300 K radiation.

Material defects and structure impact efficiency.

Resistivity and film thickness influence output.

Abstract

The thermophotovoltaic cells which convert the low temperature radiation into electricity are of significance due to their potential applications in many fields. In this work, Bi2Te3/Si thermophotovoltaic cells which work under the radiation from the blackbody with the temperature of 300 K-480 K are presented. The experimental results show that the cells can output electricity even under the radiation temperature of 300 K. The band structure of Bi2Te3/Si heterojunctions and the defects in Bi2Te3 thin films lower the conversion efficiency of the cells. It is also demonstrated that the resistivity of Si and the thickness of Bi2Te3 thin films have important effects on Bi2Te3/Si thermophotovoltaic cells. Although the cells' output power is small, this work provides a possible way to utilize the low temperature radiation.