Nanowerk November 26, 2024 Materials with axis-dependent conduction polarity (ADCP), which exhibit electron-like and hole-like conduction along distinct crystallographic axes, have garnered interest as potential candidates for effective transverse thermoelectric (TTE) conversion. However, the challenge of designing materials with ADCP is still unresolved. Researchers in Japan conducted experimental and computational investigations on the ADCP in thermopower of WSi single crystals and found that the ADCP stems from the mixed-dimensionality of the Fermi surfaces, characterized by the coexistence of quasi-one-dimensional electron-like and quasi-two-dimensional hole-like sheets. They demonstrated TTE conversion in WSi single crystals by detecting the electromotive force along the perpendicular […]
Tag Archives: Heat to electricity
Quantum-inspired design boosts efficiency of heat-to-electricity conversion
Phys.org November 21, 2024 Thermophotovoltaics (TPV) is promising for thermal storage and generation. TPV systems employing selective thermal emitters allow compact designs for various terrestrial and space applications, but these systems have low efficiency. The selective thermal emitter and the low-bandgap photovoltaic cell contribute to this problem. Researchers at Rice University solved the shortcomings of the thermal emitter by using a novel approach based on non-Hermitian optics. They demonstrated a hybrid metal-dielectric non-Hermitian selective emitter (NHE) with high spectral efficiency and employed the NHE in a TPV system operating at 1273 K. They showed that a maximum TPV conversion efficiency of […]
Heat-resistant nanophotonic material could help turn heat into electricity
Nanowerk September 22, 2022 A team of researchers in the US (University of Michigan, University of Virginia) has developed materials using destructive interference phenomenon to reflect infrared energy while letting shorter wavelengths pass through. Using pulsed laser, they deposited oxides of calcium and titanium oxides. Oxides made the material more durable, less likely to degrade at high temperature, and they could be more precisely layered. The material controlled the flow of infrared radiation and was stable at temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in air, a nearly twofold improvement over existing approaches. After testing they confirmed that the material worked as […]