Solar energy conversion with tunable plasmonic nanostructures for thermoelectric devices

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in nanostructures offers significant light absorption capabilities.
• The photothermal effect, a byproduct of LSPR, can be harnessed for energy conversion.
• Integrating plasmonics into solar technologies requires efficient light absorption and heat utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the use of the photothermal effect from silver nanostructures as a heat source for thermoelectric devices.
• To explore the tunability of plasmonic bands in silver nanostructures for efficient solar spectrum utilization.
• To propose a novel photovoltaic-thermoelectric tandem cell structure utilizing plasmonics for enhanced light harvesting.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of silver nanostructures with tailored shapes to control plasmonic band positions.
• Characterization of the photothermal effect generated by the silver nanostructures.
• Integration of nanostructures with thermoelectric devices to assess heat generation and conversion.

Main Results:

• Silver nanostructures effectively generate heat via the photothermal effect, suitable for thermoelectric applications.
• The plasmonic band position, and thus spectral interaction, is tunable by altering nanostructure shape.
• Successful demonstration of plasmonic-enhanced heat source for thermoelectric energy generation.

Conclusions:

• The photothermal effect of plasmonic silver nanostructures can be utilized as a heat source for thermoelectric devices.
• Tailoring nanostructure morphology allows for efficient solar light harvesting across different spectral ranges.
• This work paves the way for plasmonic-mediated photovoltaic-thermoelectric tandem solar cells.