Indium Tin Oxide-Based Selective Emitter for Nano-Gap Thermophotovoltaic Applications

Abstract:

This paper seeks to use numerical simulation to study the effect of indium tin oxide-based emitters on the optical response and performance of nanogap thermophotovoltaic systems using a one-dimensional multi-layered model that incorporates fluctuational electrodynamics to solve the heat transfer problem. It is proposed that ITO be used as a selective emitter whose surface plasmon-polariton-enhanced heat flux spectrum is tuned by changing its processing method. In order to study the optical response of this system, an ITO layer is paired with three types of substrate materials to form three different two-layered emitters at 1000 K. It is discovered that an Ag/ITO emitter produces relatively high heat flux within a narrow spectrum as compared to the other two. It is shown that a substrate material possessing a dielectric function with low ε’ and ε” values (low absorption) contributes the least amount of heat flux and maximizes the contribution of the ITO layer at the resonant frequency producing a narrower spectral heat flux profile. Furthermore the substrate thickness has a significant effect on the heat flux spectrum especially at lower thicknesses. Finally, it is shown that by tuning ITO properties to better match the TPV cell’s band gap, higher power output and conversion efficiencies can be obtained.

• Periodical: Journal of Nano Research (Volume 49)
• Pages: 127-148
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/JNanoR.49.127
• Online since: September 2017
• Authors: Japheth Z.J. Lau*, Basil T. Wong
• Keywords: Indium Tin Oxide, Nano-Gap TPV, Near-Field Heat Transfer, Selective Emitter, Thermophotovoltaics

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