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Selective emitters for thermophotovoltaic applications (Phys. Status Solidi A 1∕2017)
Author(s) -
Pfiester Nicole A.,
Vandervelde Thomas E.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.201770101
Subject(s) - thermophotovoltaic , black body radiation , optoelectronics , common emitter , diode , photon , materials science , photonics , electromagnetic spectrum , metamaterial , infrared , optics , radiation , engineering physics , physics
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) diodes are devices that convert infrared radiation into electricity. They can use photons from any radiating body, sometimes modelled using the high temperature blackbody shown on the cover, but their performance is enhanced when coupled with a filter and/or selective emitter as part of a TPV system. Selective emitters allow the collection of energy from a wide variety of sources and yet only generate photons within a certain range of wavelengths. In the Review Article “Selective emitters for thermophotovoltaic applications” (article no. 1600410 ) the authors discuss several material choices for infrared emitters. Early emitters generated sharp, but fixed, spectral peaks using plasmas or rare earth elements. Modern engineered materials, such as photonic crystals and metamaterials (cover inset), allow tuning of the emission spectrum to the band gap of the TV diode, optimizing the diode efficiency.