Enabling Highly Enhanced Solar Thermoelectric Generator Efficiency by a CuCrMnCoAlN-Based Spectrally Selective Absorber

Abstract

Harvesting solar energy to enhance thermoelectric generator efficiency is a highly effective strategy. However, it is a grand challenge but essential to increase solarthermal conversion efficiency. A spectrally selective absorber, which is capable of boosting solar absorptance (α) while suppressing thermal emittance (ε), shows great potential to elevate the solar-thermal conversion efficiency. Herein, we fabricate a multilayer spectrally selective absorber with the assistance of high-entropy nitrides, which shows outstanding spectral selectivity (α/ε = 95.2/10.9%). Benefitting from the high-entropy nitrides, it is experimentally demonstrated that the as-deposited absorber exhibits superior thermal stability, which is crucial to ensure service life. Under 1000 W•m −2 simulated solar illumination, it achieves a very high surface temperature of 109.6 °C, making it suitable to enhance the efficiency of solar thermoelectric generators. Impressively, the integration of the proposed absorber with a commercial thermoelectric generator efficiently reinforces thermoelectric performance, offering a high output power of 1.99 mW. More importantly, by taking advantage of a thermal concentration strategy, it enables a further increase of the output power by 2.98 mW. This work provides a promising solar-thermal material to boost high thermoelectric performance and extends the application category of highentropy nitrides.

A Multifunctional tannic acid–Fe3+–graphene oxide loaded alginate photothermal network: an interfacial water evaporator, a disinfector and a power generator

“…After loading of constant wt% of TA over GO the sharp intensity peak of GO has been slightly broadened and some minor diffraction peaks have appeared at 27° and 42° which resemble the normal diffraction peak of TA and GO, indicating GO with few layers. 30 Furthermore, unlike the sharp peak of pure GO, the large peak of PT-2 shows disordered stacked GO sheets at the microscopic scale, which is verified by SEM images. Exfoliated layers of GO attempt to restack with a neighbouring layer owing to strong stacking, hydrophobic interaction and van der Waals forces, causing the broad accessible interfaces of graphene sheets to be hampered.…”

Thermal Stability and Weather Resistance of a Bionic Lotus Multiscale Micro–Nanostructure TiC/TiN–Ni/Mo Spectral Selective Absorber Based on Laser Cladding-Induced Melt Foaming

“…The technology of generating electricity for thermal energy shows great application prospects. , Selective absorption coating is the core material of solar collectors. The coating needs to have a high absorptivity (α) in the solar spectral range of 0.3–2.5 μm, a low thermal emissivity (ε) in the infrared region of 2.5–25 μm, and excellent optical stability and corrosion resistance at high temperatures. − The types of solar absorption coatings include intrinsic absorption coatings, optical interference coatings, dielectric-metal composite coatings, and optical trap coatings. − Recently, the optical interference coatings with multilayer cermet structures, such as Co-WC-Al 2 O 3 , TiC-Al 2 O 3 , WNi-Al 2 O 3 , and WTi-Al 2 O 3 , have become the research focus because of excellent optical properties. − However, the atomic diffusion between the layers of the traditional multilayer solar absorption coating destroys the multilayer structure at high temperatures, resulting in a significant reduction in the light interference absorption efficiency, making it less stable at high temperatures . In addition, due to the weather environment such as rain and snow, the corrosion resistance is crucial for the long-term application of the coating, which directly affects the service life of the coating …”

UV-LIG-Based Perfect Broadband Absorber for Solar Thermoelectric Generation

“…12 Recently, Liu et al fabricated a high-entropy nitride-based multilayer absorber with outstanding photothermal properties and demonstrated thermoelectric power generation. 17 Interestingly, even the candle soot coating over the thermoelectric modules illustrated the improved performance of solar energy harvesting 13 due to its absorption property.…”