Concentric Ultra-Dark Solar-Thermal Absorber/Metasurface Thermal Emitter for Thermophotovoltaic Power Conversion

Maintaining the desired the thermal balance of a spacecraft requires control of solar and thermal radiation. Effectively controlling and ulitizing the solar absorption and thermal emission properties of a harvesting device will facilitate thermal balance and enhance the power generation capacity of spacecraft. This will improve spacecraft durability and ensure future short- and long-term space mission success. This project will develop a thermophotovoltaic power generator (TPG) system, which is based on a thermophotovoltaic system for high-efficiency capture and conversion of solar and thermal radiation (light and heat, captured by a nanocarbon broadband absorber and released by spectrally selective thermal emitter) into electrical energy. Phase I demonstrated absorption of solar and thermal radiation, improvement in spectral emissivity around specific wavelengths matching the band gap of thermophotovoltaic cells, and the enhancement in power output of thermophotovoltaic cells. In Phase II, the TPG system will be optimized, scaled up, and integrated/packaged for electricity generation. The ultimate goal is to develop a high-performance device, adaptable to a range of spacecraft and terrestrial applications, that generates power from the collection of solar and/or thermal radiation, exceeding that of a standard photovoltaic cell, to meet both commercial and defense market needs.