High-Temperature Photonic Materials for Thermophotovoltaic System

Nanostructures with tailored compositions and geometries offer significant potential for improving optical sensors, energy harvesters, and photocatalyst processes, especially in high-temperature applications. Photonic materials used in such conditions must retain functionality while withstanding extreme temperatures. This talk covers recent advancements in thermophotovoltaic (TPV) emitter design, where heat is converted directly to electricity via photovoltaic (PV) cells. By optimizing bilayer emitter configurations, we achieved a figure of merit (FOM) above 60% for emitter-cell pairs operating at 2000ºC. Stability and thermal expansion mismatches are addressed to improve the system efficiency. This approach expands the optical property database for known materials, offering new possibilities for high-temperature photonic technologies.