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

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将展示利用单片集成纳米线天线/整流二极管阵列（IR- aaid）从加热源收集并转换为直流功率红外辐射（IR）的可行性。在低成本基板上使用可扩展、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具有特定特性的特定热源/发射器的红外辐射。传统的基于半导体的红外光伏材料效率低、材料成本高、温度敏感性高、对高温发射器的要求高，而红外- aaid系统可以以40%以上的效率将热量转化为电能。最好的红外光伏组件通常以低于5%的效率工作，需要1200到2000摄氏度的发射器温度来匹配可用的带隙，并且需要非常昂贵的化学成分的材料来匹配特定的能量应用。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，具有高密度和可调的直径/长度长宽比，在相对较大的面积上用于热收集应用。这些应用将从使用低温热的便携式电源包，到使用高温核热源和传统热源发电，这些热源的噪音或其他环境问题是一个问题。

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.