Nanowerk March 8, 2022
In thermoelectric materials the hot side can be easily obtained by excess heat. Since thermoelectric voltage is proportional to the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides, efficient passive cooling to increase the temperature gradient is of critical importance. Researchers in Japan have designed a magnetic hybrid system where radiative cooling occurs at the top, as heat is lost from a material in the form of infrared radiation, while solar radiation is absorbed at the bottom. They demonstrated this concept by using the spin Seebeck effect. The device shows the highest thermoelectric voltage when both radiative cooling and solar heating are utilized. The device generates thermoelectric voltage even at night through radiative cooling which enables continuous energy harvesting throughout a day. Planar geometry and scalable fabrication process are advantageous for energy harvesting applications…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Schematic of the device which generates thermopower based on the SSE by radiative cooling at the top substrate and solar heating at the bottom light absorber…Credit: Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, Volume 22, 2021 – Issue 1Â