Title: Near-field thermal radiation transfer controlled by plasmons in graphene

Abstract

It is shown that thermally excited plasmon-polariton modes can strongly mediate, enhance, and tune the near-field radiation transfer between two closely separated graphene sheets. The dependence of near-field heat exchange on doping and electron relaxation time is analyzed in the near infrared within the framework of fluctuational electrodynamics. The dominant contribution to heat transfer can be controlled to arise from either interband or intraband processes. We predict maximum transfer at low doping and for plasmons in two graphene sheets in resonance, with orders-of-magnitude enhancement (e.g., 10² to 10³ for separations between 0.1 μm and 10 nm) over the Stefan-Boltzmann law, known as the far-field limit. Strong, tunable, near-field transfer offers the promise of an externally controllable thermal switch as well as a novel hybrid graphene-graphene thermoelectric/thermophotovoltaic energy conversion platform.

Authors:

Ilic, Ognjen ^[1]; Jablan, Marinko ^[2]; Joannopoulos, John D. ^[1]; Celanovic, Ivan ^[1]; Buljan, Hrvoje ^[2]; Soljačić, Marin ^[1]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
2. Univ. of Zagreb, Zagreb (Croatia)

Publication Date:

Wed Apr 11 00:00:00 EDT 2012

Research Org.:

Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Solid-State Solar-Thermal Energy Conversion Center (S3TEC); Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

OSTI Identifier:

1386859

Grant/Contract Number:  

SC0001299; FG02-09ER46577

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 85; Journal Issue: 15; Related Information: S3TEC partners with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (lead); Boston College; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Journal ID: ISSN 1098-0121

Publisher:

American Physical Society (APS)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; solar (photovoltaic); solar (thermal); solid state lighting; phonons; thermal conductivity; thermoelectric; defects; mechanical behavior; charge transport; spin dynamics; materials and chemistry by design; optics; synthesis (novel materials); synthesis (self-assembly); synthesis (scalable processing)