SrTiO₃ /CuNi-Heterostructure-Based Thermopile for Sensitive Human Radiation Detection and Noncontact Human-Machine...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Physics
• Engineering

Background:

• Noncontact interactive technology is crucial for mitigating public health risks like cross-infection, especially during pandemics.
• Human infrared radiation is a potential stimulus for low-power, noncontact human-machine interaction, but its low intensity poses detection challenges.
• Existing photodetectors struggle with the low radiation intensity emitted by humans, necessitating improved photodetection performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly sensitive, self-powered detector for human infrared radiation.
• To create a novel thermopile with enhanced thermoelectric performance and broad infrared absorption.
• To enable robust noncontact human-machine interaction systems utilizing spontaneous human radiation.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a SrTiO3-x/CuNi-heterostructure-based thermopile.
• Integration of high thermoelectric performance and near-unity long-wave infrared absorption.
• Development of a thermopile array for real-time gesture and character recognition.

Main Results:

• The developed thermopile exhibits a significantly higher response to human radiation compared to low-dimensional materials and commercial thermopiles.
• The heterostructure demonstrates excellent thermoelectric properties and efficient absorption of long-wave infrared radiation.
• A functional touchless input device capable of recognizing hand gestures, numbers, and letters in real-time was successfully created.

Conclusions:

• The SrTiO3-x/CuNi-heterostructure thermopile offers a reliable and effective solution for self-powered detection of human radiation.
• This technology provides a viable strategy for integrating spontaneous human radiation into advanced noncontact human-machine interaction systems.
• The developed device enhances safety and usability in public spaces by enabling touchless interactions.