Exploring Fundamental Mechanisms of Near-Field Energy Conversion
Abstract
Major Goals: This proposal seeks to leverage novel thin-film based homo- and hetero-structured devices to elucidate a number of fundamentally new radiative heat transfer and energy conversion processes that arise in the near-field. In fact, near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT), which occurs in a regime where the gap-size between hot and cold objects is less than the Wiens wavelength, is an area of great current interest due to both its fundamental importance and technological potential. While far-field radiative transport is well understood, there remains a significant gap in current understanding of NFRHT. During the last decade, computational studies have predicted a number of novel transport and energy conversion phenomena which include potentially transformative approaches for: a) thermophotovoltaic energy conversion by leveraging near-field effects in conjunction with low band-gap materials and b) electro-luminescent based refrigeration using thin-film heterostructure devices.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 19, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1097854
Entities
People
- Edgar Meyhofer
- Pramod S. Reddy
- Stephen R. Forrest
Organizations
- University of Michigan