SBIR Phase I: Direct Conversion of Heat to Electricity with Nanowire Antenna Arrays

SBIR 第一阶段：利用纳米线天线阵列将热能直接转换为电能

• 批准号: 0232638
• 负责人: Lin Simpson
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: ITN ENERGY SYSTEMS, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-01-01 至 2003-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0232638&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Direct; Conversion; Heat

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of collecting and converting to DC power infrared radiation (IR) from heated sources using monolithically integrated, nanowire antenna/rectifying diode arrays (IR-AAID). Using scaleable, self-organizing, and inexpensive electrochemical processing on low cost substrates, the antenna/diode systems can be engineered to convert IR radiation from a particular heat source/emitter with specific characteristics by simply changing the antenna geometry. Unlike traditional semiconductor-based IR photovoltaic materials with their associated low efficiencies, high material costs, temperature sensitivity and matched high temperature emitter requirements, an IR-AAID system could potentially convert heat to electricity at over 40% efficiency. The best IR photovoltaic modules typically operate at less than 5% efficiency, require 1200 to 2000 Celsius emitter temperatures to match available band gaps, and require very expensive materials with chemically tailored compositions to match specific energy applications. The commercial and broader impacts of this technology will be low-cost nanowire arrays with high density and tunable diameter/length aspect ratios over a relatively large area for heat collection applications. These applications will vary from portable power packs that use low temperature heat, to the generation of electricity from high temperature nuclear and conventional heat sources where noise or other environmental concerns are an issue.

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将展示使用单片集成纳米线天线/整流二极管阵列(IR-AAID)收集来自加热源的直流功率红外辐射(IR)并将其转换为直流功率红外辐射(IR)的可行性。在低成本衬底上使用可扩展、自组织和廉价的电化学处理，天线/二极管系统可以通过简单地改变天线几何形状来转换来自特定热源/发射器的具有特定特性的IR辐射。与传统的基于半导体的红外光伏材料效率低、材料成本高、温度敏感度高以及符合高温发射器要求不同，IR-AAID系统可以将热能转换为电能，效率超过40%。最好的红外光伏组件通常以低于5%的效率运行，需要1200至2000摄氏度的发射器温度才能匹配可用带隙，并且需要非常昂贵的材料和化学定制的成分来匹配特定的能源应用。这项技术的商业和更广泛的影响将是低成本的纳米线阵列，在相对较大的面积上具有高密度和可调的直径/长度长宽比，用于集热应用。这些应用将有所不同，从使用低温热的便携式电源组，到利用高温核能和传统热源发电，在这些热源中，噪音或其他环境问题是一个问题。