Power generation by thermally assisted electroluminescence: like optical cooling, but different

Buckner, Benjamin D.; Heeg, Bauke

doi:10.1117/12.763971

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…One possible realization of a hybrid solar energy converter using heat-assisted photoluminescence has recently been proposed [15,73,74,[224][225][226], and is schematically illustrated in Figure 9b. In such a converter, solar radiation is absorbed in a low-bandgap photo-luminescent emitter, which is kept at high temperature.…”

Section: Laser Cooling and Heat-assisted Luminescencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, as the heat-enhanced anti-Stokes spontaneous emission and scattering processes enable photon energy up-conversion, they can be used to increase the efficiency of solar energy conversion processes. One possible realization of a hybrid solar energy converter using heatassisted photoluminescence has recently been proposed 15,73,74,[224][225][226] , and is schematically illustrated in Fig. 9b.…”

Section: Laser Cooling and Heat-assisted Luminescencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Heat meets light on the nanoscale

et al. 2016

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Abstract:We discuss the state-of-the-art and remaining challenges in the fundamental understanding and technology development for controlling light-matter interactions in nanophotonic environments in and away from thermal equilibrium. The topics covered range from the basics of the thermodynamics of light emission and absorption to applications in solar thermal energy generation, thermophotovoltaics, optical refrigeration, personalized cooling technologies, development of coherent incandescent light sources, and spinoptics.Keywords: thermal emission; absorption; spectral selectivity; angular selectivity; optical refrigeration; solar thermal energy conversion; thermophotovoltaics; nearfield heat transfer; photon density of states; thermal upconversion; radiative cooling Thermodynamics of light and heatControl and optimization of energy conversion processes involving photon absorption and radiation require detailed understanding of thermodynamic properties of radiation as well as its interaction with matter [1-5]. Historically, thermodynamic treatment of electromagnetic radiation began over a century ago with Planck applying the thermodynamic principles established for a gas of material particles to an analogous "photon gas" [1]. In particular, he showed that thermodynamic parameters, such as the energy, volume, temperature, and pressure can be applied to electromagnetic radiation, reflecting the dual wave-particle nature of photons. In this section, we will review the general thermodynamic principles governing photon propagation and interaction with matter, as well

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Section: Laser Cooling and Heat-assisted Luminescencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Laser Cooling and Heat-assisted Luminescencementioning

confidence: 99%

Heat meets light on the nanoscale

et al. 2016

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“…thermophotonics | thermodynamics | electronic circuits | renewable energy A thermophotonic system, introduced by Green over 20 y ago, is a photon-based thermal energy conversion system that converts heat to electricity (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). This system consists of a lightemitting diode (LED) at the hot side and a photovoltaic (PV) cell at the cold side.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…1B) (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21), which uses a passive thermal emitter on the hot side, a thermophotonic system can achieve much higher power density if a positive bias is applied on the LED (Fig. 1A) (2,6,8).…”

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confidence: 99%

Self-sustaining thermophotonic circuits

Zhao

Buddhiraju

Santhanam

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Photons represent one of the most important heat carriers. The ability to convert photon heat flow to electricity is therefore of substantial importance for renewable energy applications. However, photon-based systems that convert heat to electricity, including thermophotovoltaic systems where photons are generated from passive thermal emitters, have long been limited by low power density. This limitation persists even with near-field enhancement techniques. Thermophotonic systems, which utilize active photon emitters such as light-emitting diodes, have the potential to significantly further enhance the power density. However, this potential has not been realized in practice, due in part to the fundamental difficulty in thermodynamics of designing a self-sustaining circuit that enables steady-state power generation. Here, we overcome such difficulty by introducing a configuration where the light-emitting diodes are connected in series, and thus multiple photons can be generated from a single injected electron. As a result we propose a self-sustaining thermophotonic circuit where the steady-state power density can exceed thermophotovoltaic systems by many orders of magnitude. This work points to possibilities for constructing heat engines with light as the working medium. The flexibility of controlling the relations between electron and photon flux, as we show in our design, may also be of general importance for optoelectronics-based energy technology.

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Power generation by thermally assisted electroluminescence: like optical cooling, but different

Cited by 2 publications

References 16 publications

Heat meets light on the nanoscale

Heat meets light on the nanoscale

Self-sustaining thermophotonic circuits

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