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Title: Recent developments in high-temperature photonic crystals for energy conversion

Journal Article · · Energy & Environmental Science
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/c2ee22731b· OSTI ID:1386823

After decades of intense studies focused on cryogenic and room temperature nanophotonics, scientific interest is furthermore growing in high-temperature nanophotonics aimed at solid-state energy conversion. These latest extensive research efforts are spurred by a renewed interest in high temperature thermal-to-electrical energy conversion schemes including thermophotovoltaics (TPV), solar–thermophotovoltaics, solar–thermal, and solar–thermochemical energy conversion systems. This field is profiting tremendously from the outstanding degree of control over the thermal emission properties that can be achieved with nanoscale photonic materials. The key to obtaining high efficiency in this class of high temperature energy conversion is the spectral and angular matching of the radiation properties of an emitter to those of an absorber. Together with the achievements in the field of high-performance narrow bandgap photovoltaic cells, the ability to tailor the radiation properties of thermal emitters and absorbers using nanophotonics facilitates a route to achieving the impressive efficiencies predicted by theoretical studies. In this review, we will discuss the possibilities of emission tailoring by nanophotonics in the light of high temperature thermal-to-electrical energy conversion applications, and give a brief introduction to the field of TPV. We will demonstrate how a class of large area 2D metallic photonic crystals can be designed and employed to efficiently control and tailor the spectral and angular emission properties, paving the way towards new and highly efficient thermophotovoltaic systems and enabling other energy conversion schemes based on high-performance high-temperature nanoscale photonic materials.

Research Organization:
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0001299; FG02-09ER46577; ECS-0335765
OSTI ID:
1386823
Journal Information:
Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 5, Issue 10; Related Information: S3TEC partners with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (lead); Boston College; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; ISSN 1754-5692
Publisher:
Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 121 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (22)

Micro- and Nanostructured Surfaces for Selective Solar Absorption journal May 2015
Tungsten-Carbon Nanotube Composite Photonic Crystals as Thermally Stable Spectral-Selective Absorbers and Emitters for Thermophotovoltaics journal August 2018
Techniques for enhancing the tolerance of industrial microbes to abiotic stresses: A review journal January 2020
Selective emitters for thermophotovoltaic applications: Selective emitters for TPV applications journal November 2016
Efficient, Scalable, and High-Temperature Selective Solar Absorbers Based on Hybrid-Strategy Plasmonic Metamaterials journal May 2018
Controlling thermal emission with refractory epsilon-near-zero metamaterials via topological transitions journal June 2016
Three-dimensional self-assembled photonic crystals with high temperature stability for thermal emission modification journal October 2013
A nanophotonic solar thermophotovoltaic device journal January 2014
Metamaterial emitter for thermophotovoltaics stable up to 1400 °C journal May 2019
Bio-inspired photonic crystals with superwettability journal January 2016
Electrodeposited high strength, thermally stable spectrally selective rhenium nickel inverse opals journal January 2017
High-temperature tantalum tungsten alloy photonic crystals: Stability, optical properties, and fabrication journal September 2013
Stable high temperature metamaterial emitters for thermophotovoltaic applications journal May 2014
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Fluctuating volume-current formulation of electromagnetic fluctuations in inhomogeneous media: Incandescence and luminescence in arbitrary geometries journal October 2015
Practical emitters for thermophotovoltaics: a review journal February 2019
Designing a compact, portable and high efficiency reactor journal August 2019
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Thermal stability of tungsten based metamaterial emitter under medium vacuum and inert gas conditions
  • Chirumamilla, Manohar; Krishnamurthy, Gnanavel Vaidhyanathan; Rout, Surya Snata
  • Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature https://doi.org/10.15480/882.2721
text January 2020

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