A review on current development of thermophotovoltaic technology in heat recovery

The burning of fossil fuels in industry results in significant carbon emissions,and the heat generated is often not fully utilized.For high-temperature industries,thermophotovoltaics(TPVs)is an effective method for waste heat recovery.This review covers two aspects of high-efficiency TPV systems and industrial waste heat applications.At the system level,representative results of TPV complete the systems,while selective emitters and photovoltaic cells in the last decade are compiled.The key points of components to improve the energy conversion efficiency are further analyzed,and the related micro/nano-fabrication methods are introduced.At the application level,the feasibility of TPV applications in high-temperature industries is shown from the world waste heat utilization situation.The potential of TPV in waste heat recovery and carbon neutrality is illustrated with the steel industry as an example.

Growth of 0.55eV-GaInAsSb Quaternary Alloy Films for a Thermophotovoltaic Device by Liquid Phase Epitaxy

Lattice matched Ga1-x Inx Asy Sb1-y quaternary alloy films for thermophotovoltaic cells were successfully grown on n-type GaSb substrates by liquid phase epitaxy. Mirror-like surfaces for the epitaxial layers were achieved and evaluated by atomic force microscopy. The composition of the Ga1-x Inx Asy Sb1-y layer was characterized by energy dispersive X-ray analysis with the result that x- 0.2, y = 0.17. The absorption edges of the Ga1-x InxAsy Sb1-y films were determined to be 2. 256μm at room temperature by Fourier transform infrared transmission spectrum analysis, corresponding to an energy gap of 0.55eV. Hall measurements show that the highest obtained electron mobility in the undoped p-type samples is 512cm^2/（V · s） and the carrier density is 6.1 × 10^16 cm^-3 at room temperature. Finally,GaInAsSb based thermophotovol- taic cells in different structures with quantum efficiency values of around 60% were fabricated and the spectrum response characteristics of the cells are discussed.

GeSn(0.524 eV)single-junction thermophotovoltaic cells based on the device transport model

Based on the transport equation of the semiconductor device model for 0.524 e V Ge Sn alloy and the experimental parameters of the material,the thermal-electricity conversion performance governed by a Ge Sn diode has been systematically studied in its normal and inverted structures.For the normal p^(+)/n(n^(+)/p)structure,it is demonstrated here that an optimal base doping N_(d(a))=3(7)×10^(18)cm^(-3) is observed,and the superior p^(+)/n structure can achieve a higher performance.To reduce material consumption,an economical active layer can comprise a 100 nm-300 nm emitter and a 3μm-6μm base to attain comparable performance to that for the optimal configuration.Our results offer many useful guidelines for the fabrication of economical Ge Sn thermophotovoltaic devices.

0.6-eV bandgap In_(0.69)Ga_(0.31)As thermophotovoltaic devices with compositionally undulating step-graded InAsyP_(1-y)buffers

Single-junction,lattice-mismatched In0.69Ga0.31As thermophotovoltaic（TPV） devices each with a bandgap of 0.6 eV are grown on InP substrate by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition（MOCVD）.Compositionally undulating stepgraded InAsyP1-y buffer layers with a lattice mismatch of ～1.2% are used to mitigate the effect of lattice mismatch between the device layers and the InP substrate.With an optimized buffer thickness,the In0.69Ga0.31As active layers grown on the buffer display a high crystal quality with no measurable tetragonal distortion.High-performance single-junction devices are demonstrated,with an open-circuit voltage of 0.215 V and a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 6.9% at a short-circuit current density of 47.6 mA/cm2,which are measured under the standard solar simulator of air mass 1.5-global（AM 1.5 G）.

Application of micro/nanoscale thermal radiation to thermophotovoltaic system

Thermophotovoltaic （TPV） system has been regarded as one promising means to alleviate current energy demand because it can directly generate electricity from radiation heat via photons. However, the presently available TPV systems suffer from low conversion efficiency and low throughput. A viable solution to increase their efficiency is to apply micro/nanoscale radiation principles in the design of different components to utilize the characteristics ~f thermal radiation at small distances and in microstructures. Several critical issues are reviewed, such as photovoltaic effect, quantum efficiency and efficiency of TPV system. Emphasis is given to the development of wavelength-selective emitters and filters and the aspects of micro/nanoscale heat transfer. Recent progress, along with the challenges and opportunities for future development of TPV systems are also outlined.

The design and numerical analysis of tandem thermophotovoltaic cells

In this paper, numerical analysis of GaSb （Eg = 0.72 eV）/Gao.84Ino.16Aso.14Sbo.86 （Eg = 0.53 eV） tandem thermopho- tovoltaic （TPV） cells is carried out by using Silvaco/Atlas software. In the tandem cells, a GaSb p-n homojunction is used for the top cell and a GalnAsSb p-n homojunction for the bottom cell. A heavily doped GaSb tunnel junction connects the two sub-cells together. The simulations are carried out at a radiator temperature of 2000 K and a cell temperature of 300 K. The radiation photons are injected from the top of the tandem cells. Key properties of the single- and dual-junction TPV cells, including I-V characteristic, maximum output power （Pmax）, open-circuit voltage （Voc）, short-circuit current （/~sc）, etc. are presented. The effects of the sub-cell thickness and carrier concentration on the key properties of tandem cells are investigated. A comparison of the dual-TPV cells with GaSb and GalnAsSb single junction cells shows that the Pmax of tandem cells is almost twice as great as that of the single-junction cells.

Thermophotovoltaic Emitters Based on a One-Dimensional Metallic-Dielectric Multilayer Nanostructures

In this paper, a one-dimensional multilayer is optimized for potential applications as thermophotovoltaic (TPV) selective emitter. The proposed TPV emitter was fabricated through a magnetron sputtering process by using the radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system. The spectral emittance of the proposed TPV emitter is measured by using spectral transmittance and reflectance measurement system at wavelength from 0.3 μm to 2.5 μm at near-normal incident 8。. The bidirectional reflectance distribution function BRDF is measured by three axis automated scatterometer (TAAS). The effect of the diffraction orders and plane of incidence on the spectral emittance of the proposed TPV emitter is calculated numerically by using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA). The emittance spectrum of the proposed TPV selective emitter shows three close to unity emission peaks which are explained by the surface plasmon polariton (SPP), gap plasmon polariton (GPP) and magnetic polariton (MP) excitation. The results show that the proposed emitter has high emittance value in the spectral range of 0.69 emitter, if used as a selective emitter with a low band gap photovoltaic cell (GaSb), would lead to high TPV overall efficiency and high electrical output power.

Near-Field Heat Transfer Enhancement of SiC-hBN-InSb Thermophotovoltaic System by Graphene Strong Coupling Effects

Near-field thermophotovoltaic(NTPV)devices comprising a SiC-hBN-graphene emitter and a graphene-InSb cell with gratings are designed to enhance the performance of the NTPV systems.Fluctuational electrodynamics and rigorous coupled-wave analysis are employed to calculate radiative heat transfer fluxes.It is found that the NTPV systems with two graphene ribbons perform better due to the graphene strong coupling effects.The effects of graphene chemical potential are discussed.It is demonstrated that near-field radiative heat transfer of thermophotovoltaic devices is enhanced by the coupling of surface plasmon polaritons,surface phonon polaritons,hyperbolic phonon polaritons,and magnetic polaritons caused by the graphene strong coupling effects.Rabi splitting frequency of different polaritons is calculated to quantify the mutual interaction of graphene strong coupling effects.Finally,the effects of cell grating filling ratio are investigated.The excitation of magnetic polaritons is affected by the graphene ribbon and the cell filling ratio.This investigation provides a new explanation of the enhancement mechanism of graphene-assisted thermophotovoltaic systems and a novel approach for improving the output power of the near-field thermophotovoltaic system.

Near-field radiative heat transfer enhancement by multilayers and gratings in the thermophotovoltaic system

The near-field effect can be used to improve the output power of the near-field thermophotovoltaic device(NTPV).The nearfield radiative heat transfer in the near-field thermophotovoltaic device can be enhanced by the excitation of hyperbolic modes and the coupling of surface plasmon polaritons.In this study,we design a two-body near-field thermophotovoltaic system based on hyperbolic metamaterial.The multilayer structure on the emitter is composed of Ga-doped ZnO(GZO)and hafnium dioxide(HfO2).The gratings are on the InAs photovoltaic cell.Fluctuational electrodynamics and rigorous coupled-wave method are employed to calculate radiative heat transfer.It is found that the NTPV system with multiple microstructures performs better than the NTPV system just with single micro-structures.This NTPV system performs better in a wider vacuum gap.The output power and efficiency are enhanced by the GZO-HfO2surface plasmon polaritons in multilayer structure.The gratings can monitor the spectral heat flux to match the cell band gap to enhance the performance of the near-field thermophotovoltaic system.This investigation provides a novel approach for improving the output power of a two-body near-field thermophotovoltaic system.

Investigation of one-dimensional Si/SiO_2 photonic crystals for thermophotovoltaic filter

The spectral control is widely incorporated with the thermophotovoltaic (TPV) technology to improve the optical-electric conversion efficiency of the whole sys- tem. In order to match with GaSb photovoltaic cell, an 8-layer one-dimensional photonic crystals (PC) filter structure was designed as quarter-wave periodic structure by selecting silicon (Si) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) as candidate materials. The multilayer Si/SiO2 structure was developed for the matching filter to simulta- neously realize the optimal matching with the spectral distribution of the high temperature emitter and the quantum efficiency of GaSb cell. The physical vapor deposition (PVD) method was used to fabricate the optical filter and the normal incidence optical property of the filter was measured within the spectral range from 0.7 to 3.3 μm. These experimental data were used to predict the spectral control performance in a TPV system. Finally, temperature performance experiments were carried out to establish its withstanding performance in high temperature envi- ronment.

Plasmonic light trapping for enhanced light absorption in film-coupled ultrathin metamaterial thermophotovoltaic cells

Ultrathin cells have gained increasing attention due to their potential for reduced weight, reduced cost and increased flexibility. However, the light absorption in ultrathin cells is usually very weak compared to the corresponding bulk cells. To achieve enhanced photon absorption in ultrathin thermophotovoltaic （TPV） cells, this work proposed a film-coupled metamaterial structure made of nanometer-thick gallium antimonide （GaSh） layer sandwiched by a top one-dimensional （1D） metallic grating and a bottom metal film. The spectral normal absorptance of the proposed structure was calculated using the rigorous coupled-wave algorithm （RCWA） and the absorption enhancement was elucidated to be attributed to the excitations of magnetic polariton （MP）, surface plasmon polariton （SPP）, and Fabry-Perot （FP） resonance. The mechanisms of MP, SPP, and FP were further confirmed by an inductor-capacitor circuit model, disper- sion relation, and phase shift, respectively. Effects of grating period, width, spacer thickness, as well as incidence angle were discussed. Moreover, short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage, output electric power,and conversion efficiency were evaluated for the ultrathin GaSb TPV cell with a film-coupled metamaterial structure. This work will facilitate the development of next- generation low-cost ultrathin infrared TPV cells.

Thermal analysis and optimization of the emitter in the solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV)

A model for predicting the performance of the emitter in the solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) system is presented in this article. The effect of non-parallelism of sun rays on concentration capability is numerically calculated,also the flow field in the emitter cavity and the temperature distribution of the emitter with different inlet conditions are compared. Numerical results show that free convection of the air inside the emitter cavity has great effect on the emitter temperature and may reduce the electricity output of the cells. At last,a new kind of selective film is put forward. Through optimizing the cut-off wavelength of a selective film,radiation loss is further reduced and system efficiency is improved.

Experimental investigation and feasibility analysis of a thermophotovoltaic cogeneration system in high-temperature production processes

The experimental I- Vcharactefistics ofa Si cell module in a thermophotovoltaic （TPV） system were investigated using SiC or Yb203 radiator. The results demonstrate that the short-circuit current increases while the open-circuit voltage, along with the fill factor, decreases with the cell temperature when the radiator temperature increases from 1273 to 1573 K, leading to a suppressed increase of the output power of the system. The maximum output power density of the cell module is 0.05 W/cm2 when the temperature of the SiC radiator is 1573 K, while the electrical efficiency of the system is only 0.22%. The efficiency is 1.3% with a Yb203 radiator at the same temperature, however, the maximum output power density drops to 0.03 W/cm2. The values of the open-circuit voltage and the maximum output power obtained from the theoretical model conform to the experimental ones. But the theoretical short-circuit current is higher because of the existence of the contact resistance inside the cell module. In addition, the performance and cost of TPV cogeneration systems with the SiC or Yb203 radiator using industrial high-temperature waste heat were analyzed. The system electrical efficiency could reach 3.1% with a Yb203 radiator at 1573K. The system cost and investment recovery period are 6732 EUR/kWel and 14 years, respectively.

Effectiveness analysis and optimum design of the rotary regenerator for thermophotovoltaic （TPV） system

The influence of the period of rotation on the effectiveness of the thermophotovoltaic （TPV） rotary regenerator was theoretically and experimentally investi- gated. It was found that the deviations of the theoretical results from the experimental ones decrease with the increase of the period of rotation. To the TPV system of 10 kW combustion power, the deviation is 3.5% when the rotation period is 3 s; while the deviation decreases to 1.5% when the rotation period increases to 15 s. The deviation could be mainly attributed to the cold and hot fluids carryover loss which was not considered in the model. With a new model taking account of the carryover loss established, the predicted results were greatly improved. Based on the modified model, the influence of geometrical parameters of rotary regenerator on the effectiveness was analyzed for TPV systems of various combustion power. The results demonstrate that the effectiveness increases with the increase of the rotary regenerator diameter and height, while fluid carryover loss increases at the same time, which weakens the impact of geometrical parameters.

Near-field radiative thermoelectric energy converters： a review

Radiative thermoelectric energy converters, which include thermophotovoltaic cells, thermoradiative cells, electroluminescent refrigerators, and negative elec- troluminescent refrigerators, are semiconductor p-n devices that either generate electricity or extract heat from a cold body while exchanging thermal radiation with their surroundings. If this exchange occurs at micro or nanoscale distances, power densities can be greatly enhanced and near-field radiation effects may improve performance. This review covers the fundamentals of near-field thermal radiation, photon entropy, and none- quilibrium effects in semiconductor diodes that underpin device operation. The development and state of the art of these near-field converters are discussed in detail, and remaining challenges and opportunities for progress are identified.

Multistage interband cascade photovoltaic devices with a bandgap of 0.23 eV operating above room temperature

Interband cascade(IC)photovoltaic(PV)device structures,consisting of multiple discrete InAs/GaSb superlattice absorbers sandwiched between electron and hole barriers,were grown by molecular beam epitaxy.Details of the molecular beam epitaxy growth and material characterization of the structures are presented.The discrete absorber architecture enables certain advantages,such as high open-circuit voltage,high collection efficiency,high operating temperature,and smooth integration of cascade stages with different bandgaps.The two-and three-stage ICPV devices presented in this article operate at room temperature with substantial open-circuit voltages at a cutoff wavelength of 5.3 lm(corresponding to a bandgap of 0.23 eV),the longest ever reported for room temperature PV devices.The device characteristics indicate a high level of current matching and demonstrate the advantages of the interband cascade approach in thermophotovoltaic cell design.

Preparation and performance evaluation of Er_2O_3 coating-type selective emitter

An Er203 coating-type selective emitter for themophotovoltaic application was prepared by plasma spray technology. The test results show that plasma spray technology could be used to prepare the Er203 coating-type selective emitter with good stability at 1400℃. Based on the measurements of the high temperature normal spectral emissivity and the spectral hemispherical emissivity of the samples at room temperature, the influence of the coating thickness was discussed, and the selective emission performance of the sample was evaluated using radiative efficiency as the criterion. The results demonstrate that the emission of substrate could not be neglected unless the coating thickness would be larger than the penetration depth, which is around 100 μm. The selective emission peak of the Er203 coating occurs at 1550 nm, matching well with the GaSb cells. However, the radiative efficiency is not larger than that of the SiC emitter, because the non-convertible emission of 1.725-5 μm accounts for a large proportion of the total radiation power, especially at high temperature. Effective suppression of this band emission is essential to the improvement of the radiation efficiency of the emitter.

Spectral emittance measurements of micro/nanostructures in energy conversion:a review

Micro/nanostructures play a key role in tuning the radiative properties of materials and have been applied to high-temperature energy conversion systems for improved performance.Among the various radiative properties,spectral emittance is of integral importance for the design and analysis of materials that function as radiative absorbers or emitters.This paper presents an overview of the spectral emittance measurement techniques using both the direct and indirect methods.Besides,several micro/nanostructures are also introduced,and a special emphasis is placed on the emissometers developed for characterizing engineered micro/nanostructures in high-temperature applications(e.g.,solar energy conversion and thermophotovoltaic devices).In addition,both experimental facilities and measured results for different materials are summarized.Furthermore,future prospects in developing instrumentation and micro/nanostructured surfaces for practical applications are also outlined.This paper provides a comprehensive source of information for the application of micro/nanostructures in high-temperature energy conversion engineering.