Design of Multilayer Ring Emitter Based on Metamaterial for Thermophotovoltaic Applications

Multiresonant Selective Emitter with Enhanced Thermal Management for Infrared Camouflage

Tailoring the optical properties of metamaterials is crucial for improving the performance of infrared (IR) applications. Generally, IR camouflage materials are required to have low IR-emission properties for the detected bands (3-5 and 8-12 μm), in which IR detection is accomplished. However, the heat residue by suppressed thermal radiation degrades the thermal dissipation capacity and thermal stability of IR camouflage materials. Herein, a multilayer metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) selective emitter with high IR-emission performance in the undetected band for thermal management and low IR-emission performance in the detected band for IR camouflage is introduced. Compared to a conventional selective emitter and a low-emission material (Au film), the multiresonance selective emitter exhibited 125 and 2910% increases in heat dissipation within the undetected band, respectively. In addition, the proposed camouflage material exhibited a substantial reduction in emissive energy within the detected bands of 3-5 and 8-12 μm, with reductions of 72 and 83%, respectively, compared to that of a high-emission surface. The effectiveness of our IR camouflage was demonstrated by IR camera measurements. When the surface temperature was 360 K, the radiance temperatures of the multilayer multipeak selective emitter were 314 and 309 K for the 3-5 and 8-12 μm bands, respectively. Thermal management experiments demonstrated the enhanced thermal stability of the multiresonance selective emitter, especially in conditions of low pressure and high heat flux, when compared to that of the low-emissivity film. This work provides a practical strategy to enhance the thermal emission of a selective emitter, expanding its potential beyond IR camouflage to various energy applications.

Construction and performance analysis of a solar thermophotovoltaic system targeting on the efficient utilization of AM0 space solar radiation

Solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) has great potential as efficient power supply source for spacecraft to meet the demand of spacecraft miniaturization. In this work, a novel space STPV system is proposed to achieve the efficient utilization of the AM0 space solar radiation. Metamaterial structures were designed and FDTD method is used to analyze their radiation regulation mechanism. A multi-layer cylindrical periodic structure is used as the absorber which realizes a total absorptance of 0.9283 to AM0 radiation. A cylindrical periodic structure is used as the emitter to reshape the broadband thermal radiation as narrowband to match with the Si/InGaAsSb tandem cell, which realizes a highest TPV efficiency of 51.36%. System performance analysis is conducted and the system presents a highest STPV efficiency of 40.86% and good adaptability under wide range of operating parameters, which reveals its great potential to realize the efficient utilization of AM0 solar radiation for space power supply.

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A novel space STPV system for AM0 space solar radiation is proposed

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Metamaterial structures are designed for spectrum reshaping of AM0 solar radiation

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The total absorptance of AM0 radiation is 0.9283 and the TPV efficiency is 51.36

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The highest energy conversion efficiency of the space STPV system reaches 40.86

Flexible Thermocamouflage Materials in Supersonic Flowfields with Selective Energy Dissipation

Camouflage refers to a creature's behavior to protect itself from predators by assimilating its signature with the environment. In particular, thermal camouflage materials in the infrared (IR) wave are attracting interest for energy, military, and space applications. To date, several types of camouflage materials such as photonic crystals and metal-dielectric-metal structures have been developed. However, flexible camouflage materials still face challenging issues because of the material's brittleness and anomalous dispersion. Herein, we propose flexible thermocamouflage materials (FTCM) for IR camouflage on an arbitrary surface without mechanical failure. Without using a polymer as a dielectric layer, we realized FTCM by changing the unit cell structure discretely. By imaging methods, we verified their flexibility, machinability, and IR camouflage performance. We also measured and calculated the spectral emissivity of FTCM; they showed electromagnetic behavior similar to a conventional emitter. We quantified the IR camouflage performance of FTCM that the emissivity in the undetected band (5-8 μm) is 0.27 and the emissivity values in detected bands are 0.12 (3-5 μm) and 0.16 (8-14 μm) in the detected bands, respectively. Finally, we confirmed the IR camouflage performance on an arbitrary surface in a supersonic flowfield. FTCM are expected to help to improve our basic understanding of metamaterials and find widespread application as IR camouflage materials.

A Review on Thermophotovoltaic Cell and Its Applications in Energy Conversion: Issues and Recommendations

Generally, waste heat is redundantly released into the surrounding by anthropogenic activities without strategized planning. Consequently, urban heat islands and global warming chronically increases over time. Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems can be potentially deployed to harvest waste heat and recuperate energy to tackle this global issue with supplementary generation of electrical energy. This paper presents a critical review on two dominant types of semiconductor materials, namely gallium antimonide (GaSb) and indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), as the potential candidates for TPV cells. The advantages and drawbacks of non-epitaxy and epitaxy growth methods are well-discussed based on different semiconductor materials. In addition, this paper critically examines and summarizes the electrical cell performance of TPV cells made of GaSb, InGaAs and other narrow bandgap semiconductor materials. The cell conversion efficiency improvement in terms of structural design and architectural optimization are also comprehensively analyzed and discussed. Lastly, the practical applications, current issues and challenges of TPV cells are critically reviewed and concluded with recommendations for future research. The highlighted insights of this review will contribute to the increase in effort towards development of future TPV systems with improved cell conversion efficiency.

Radiation-Thermodynamic Modelling and Simulating the Core of a Thermophotovoltaic System

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems generate electricity without the limitations of radiation intermittency, which is the case in solar photovoltaic systems. As energy demands steadily increase, there is a need to improve the conversion dynamics of TPV systems. Consequently, this study proposes a novel radiation-thermodynamic model to gain insights into the thermodynamics of TPV systems. After validating the model, parametric studies were performed to study the dependence of power generation attributes on the radiator and PV cell temperatures. Our results indicated that a silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) module could produce a power density output, thermal losses, and maximum voltage of 115.68 W cm−2, 18.14 W cm−2, and 36 V, respectively, at a radiator and PV cell temperature of 1800 K and 300 K. Power density output increased when the radiator temperature increased; however, the open circuit voltage degraded when the temperature of the TPV cells increased. Overall, for an 80 W PV module, there was a potential for improving the power generation capacity by 45% if the TPV system operated at a radiator and PV cell temperature of 1800 K and 300 K, respectively. The thermal efficiency of the TPV system varied with the temperature of the PV cell and radiator.

Multiple Resonance Metamaterial Emitter for Deception of Infrared Emission with Enhanced Energy Dissipation

Artificial camouflage surfaces for assimilating with the environment have been utilized for controlling optical properties. Especially, the optical properties of infrared (IR) camouflage materials should be satisfied with two requirements: deception of IR signature in a detected band through reduced emissive energy and dissipation of reduced emissive energy for preventing thermal instability through an undetected band. Most reported articles suggest the reduction of emissive energy in the detected band; however, broadband emission for enough energy dissipation through the undetected band simultaneously is still a challenging issue. Here, we demonstrate the multiresonance emitter for broadband emission with IR camouflage utilizing the electromagnetic properties of dielectric material. We reveal that the interaction between the magnetic resonance and dielectric layer's property in a metal-dielectric-metal structure induces the multiple resonance at the specific band. We present an IR camouflage behavior of multiresonance emitter on a curved surface through the IR camera (8-14 μm). We evaluate the energy dissipation in the undetected band, which is 1613% higher than metal and 26% higher than conventional selective emitters. This study paves the way to develop broadband emitters for radiative cooling and thermophotovoltaic applications.

Left-handed metamaterial bandpass filter for GPS, Earth Exploration-Satellite and WiMAX frequency sensing applications

Interferences and accuracy problem are one of the most talked issues in today's world for sensor technology. To deal with this contention, a microstrip framework consisting of a dual mode double negative (DNG) metamaterial based bandpass filter is presented in this article. To obtain the ultimate noise reduction bandpass filter, the proposed structure has to go through a series of development process, where the characteristics of the structure are tested to the limit. This filter is built on Rogers RT-5880 substrate with a 50Ω microstrip line. To pursue the elementary mode of resonant frequency, the ground layer of the structure is kept partially filled and a gradual analysis is executed on the prospective metamaterial (resonator) unit cell. Depending on the developed unit cell, the filter is constructed and fabricated to verify the concept, concentrating on GPS (1.55GHz), Earth Exploration-Satellite (2.70GHz) and WiMAX (3.60GHz) bands of frequencies. Moreover, the structure is investigated using Nicolson-Ross-Weir (NRW) approach to justify the metamaterial characteristics, and also tested on S-parameters, current distribution, electric and magnetic fields and quality factor. Having a propitious architecture and DNG characteristics, the proposed structure is suitable for bandpass filter for GPS, Earth Exploration-Satellite and WiMAX frequency sensing applications.