CAREER: Investigation of Nanoscale Radiative Heat Transfer for Enhanced Thermal Infrared Energy Conversion and Cooling

纳米工程材料的迷人性质为在纳米级能量转换和冷却技术领域进行研究打开了新方法的大门。该项目创造了有关纳米级辐射换热的新的基础知识，需要解决能源利用、转换和冷却方面的紧迫问题。操纵、抑制和调节纳米级物体的辐射特性的能力在各种领域变得至关重要，如太阳能和热光伏能转换、废热回收以及通过辐射冷却潜在的能源节约。低成本、高效率的热纳米材料的表征对于基础科学热研究和工业生产是必要的。鉴于这些技术的潜力，有必要吸引人才并激发年轻人的兴趣。该项目建立、支持和培育了一个鼓励纳米工程企业家精神和领导力的环境，并让高中生接触到小规模的热传递技术，以获得有关纳米材料的实践经验，并解决现实世界中的社会和全球能源挑战。将与当地高中合作举办实践纳米工程讲习班，以提高学生的数量和质量，特别是少数族裔和妇女。该项目旨在对远场和近场条件下光子超材料引起的纳米级辐射热传输进行全面研究。该项目的目标是更好地理解纳米尺度上的辐射热传输的物理，主要侧重于纳米结构材料的热、光学和这些特性的独特组合。它包括三个研究任务：(1)利用计算方法和先进的光谱技术探索新型纳米材料；(2)操纵近场和远场区域的热辐射波长选择性；(3)展示基于光子超材料的热光伏能量转换和辐射冷却。纳米尺度的热传输和辐射波长选择性之间的知识差距将被弥合，这归因于增强的热红外能量收集、转换和基于光子的冷却，两者都需要探索跨学科的工程发现和方法，当这些技术在热传输过程和纳米工程领域结合起来作为一个综合能源系统发挥作用时。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The fascinating nature of nanoengineered materials has opened the door to novel approaches for conducting research in the field of nanoscale energy conversion and cooling technology. This project creates new fundamental knowledge about nanoscale radiative heat transfer, needed to solve pressing problems in energy harnessing, conversion and cooling. The ability to manipulate, suppress and tune the radiative properties of nanoscale objects becomes essential in diverse areas like solar and thermophotovoltaic energy conversion, waste heat recovery, and potential energy savings by radiative cooling. The characterization of low-cost, highly effective thermal nanomaterials is necessary for basic scientific thermal research and industrial production. Given the potential of these technologies, there is a need to attract talent and generate interest in young minds. The project establishes, supports, and nurtures an environment that encourages nanoengineering entrepreneurship and leadership and exposes high school students to small scale heat transfer technologies to get hands-on experience about nanomaterials and solve real-world societal and global energy challenges. Hands-on NanoEngineering workshops are to be conducted in partnership with local high schools to increase the quantity and quality of students, especially minorities and women.This project aims to conduct a comprehensive study relevant to nanoscale radiative thermal transport due to photonic metamaterials in both far-field and near-field regimes. The objective of this project is to better understand the physics of radiative thermal transport at the nanometer scale, focusing mainly on thermal, optical and unique combinations of these properties of nanostructured materials. It includes three research tasks: (1) explore novel nanomaterials using computational methods and advanced spectroscopy techniques, (2) manipulate thermal radiative wavelength selectivity in near-field and far-field regimes, and (3) demonstrate photonic metamaterials-based thermophotovoltaic energy conversion and radiative cooling. The knowledge gap will be closed between nanoscale thermal transport and radiative wavelength selectivity which attributes to the enhanced thermal infrared energy harvesting, conversion, and photon-based cooling, both necessitate exploring interdisciplinary engineering discoveries and approaches when these technologies in the areas of thermal transport processes and nanoengineering are combined to function as an integrative energy system.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.