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

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将开发利用纳米线天线阵列和单片集成整流二极管（IR- aaid）收集和转换来自热源的红外辐射（IR）为直流电源的纳米技术。这项创新利用可扩展（平方米）、自组织和廉价的电化学处理技术，使用低成本材料来设计天线/二极管系统，以转换热源的光。IR-AAID可以以超过40%的效率将热量转化为电能，并且只需改变天线的几何形状就可以适应不同的发射器。最好的红外热光伏模块通常以低于5%的效率运行，每瓦成本超过300美元，需要高达2000开尔文的发射器温度来匹配可用的带隙，并且需要昂贵的具有化学定制成分的材料，这些材料对温度敏感，以匹配特定的能量应用。在第一阶段，该团队演示了在大面积上形成纳米级红外收集天线/二极管结构的可行性，开发了独特的测量方法来独立评估天线和二极管的性能，演示了能够提供所需IRAAID性能的材料和二极管结构，用IR- aaid设备从光中产生直流电，并演示了未优化二极管的6%转换效率。在第二阶段，该团队将开发强大的工艺，以形成廉价（每瓦低于2美元）的IR-AAID原型，以有效地将光转换为直流电源。在商业上，由于IR-AAID不需要昂贵的先进光刻技术或直接的串行纳米图案，这一努力将产生低成本的纳米线阵列，在相对较大的区域内具有高密度，用于热收集。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。IR-AAID的启用功能非常适合热回收应用，由于现有技术的限制和成本，目前这一价值1000亿美元的资源几乎尚未开发。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop enabling nanotechnology that collects and converts infrared radiation (IR) from heated sources into DC power using nanowire antenna arrays with monolithically integrated rectifying diodes (IR-AAID). The innovation uses scaleable (square meters), self-organizing, and inexpensive electrochemical processing with low cost materials to engineer antenna/diode systems to convert light from heat sources. IR-AAID can convert heat to electricity at over 40 percent efficiency and be adapted to different emitters simply by changing the antenna geometry. The best IR thermo-photovoltaic modules typically operate at less than 5 percent efficiency, cost more than $300 per Watt, require up to 2000 degree Kelvin emitter temperatures to match available bandgaps, and require expensive materials with chemically tailored compositions, that are temperature sensitive, to match specific energy applications. In Phase I, the team demonstrated the feasibility of forming nanometer scale IR collecting antenna/diode structures over large areas, developed unique measurements to independently evaluate antenna and diode performance, demonstrated materials and diode structures that will provide the required IRAAID performance, generated DC power from light with IR-AAID devices, and demonstrated 6 percent conversion efficiency with non-optimized diodes. For Phase II, the team will develop robust processing to form inexpensive (less than $2 per Watt), IR-AAID prototypes to efficiently convert light to DC power.Commercially, since IR-AAID does not require prohibitively expensive advanced lithography or direct serial nano-patterning, this effort will produce low-cost nanowire arrays with high density over relatively large areas, for heat collection. 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. The enabling IR-AAID features are ideally suited for heat recovery applications, a $100B resource that is virtually untapped at present due to the limitations and costs of existing technology.