Near-field thermophotovoltaic system with nanostructured absorber/emitter for high-efficiency radiant energy transfer

Radiant energy conversion, storage, and transfer eliminate the mass transfer process induced power output limitation, and open a new vista for energy utilization. An effective system for absorbing radiant energy and converting into electrical energy will facilitate radiant energy storage and transfer. This project aims to develop a system that uses ultra-black nanocarbon coatings as a broadband absorber to absorb radiant energy from both solar and thermal radiant sources, and converts the absorbed energy directly into electrical energy via near-field spectrally selective thermal emission to a thermophotovoltaic cell. The technology will leverage the advantages of both photovoltaic and photothermal approaches, and generate high-efficient radiant energy conversion and storage platforms compared with standard photovoltaic system due to the broadband collection of light and heat in the absorber and spectral control emission in the thermal emitter. The ultimate goal is to develop a high-performance device, adaptable to a wide range across UV-Vis-IR waveband radiant energy harvesting and conversion, that generates electricity for further storage and transfer to meet DARPA needs.