Undergraduate Research IV

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices, capable of converting thermal radiation into electricity, are a promising technology for decarbonizing the electrical grid. Challenges such as scalability, power output, and efficiency hinder their commercial viability. This research aims to enhance TPV device efficiency by optimizing a bilayer photonic emitter design that is simple to manufacture and stable at ultra-high temperatures (>1,800°C). A four-layer optical model was employed to optimize emitter designs by varying coating and substrate thicknesses as well as optimization of the temperature and TPV cell bandgap, leading to efficiency improvements. Two material pairs, AlN/BN and BN/AlN, exceeded the target efficiency of 60%. AlN/BN achieved an efficiency of 63.8% with a power output of 1.10 W/cm² for an operating temperature of 2000°C and a photovoltaic cell of 1.04 eV. BN/AlN achieved an efficiency of 65.2% with a power output of 1.28 W/cm² for an operating temperature of 2000°C and a photovoltaic cell of 1.06 eV. We identified several bilayer emitter and photovoltaic cell designs that achieve efficiencies above 60% and a power output of up to 1.28 W/cm², addressing key challenges in commercializing thermophotovoltaic devices for efficient thermal energy conversion.