Module-Level Polaritonic Thermophotovoltaic Emitters via Hierarchical Sequential Learning

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Energy Conversion and Storage
• Optics and Photonics

Background:

• Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) generators offer continuous, high-efficiency power by converting thermal radiation to electricity.
• Key challenges hindering TPV deployment include thermal emission control, thermal stability at high temperatures, and scalable fabrication.
• Existing TPV technologies require improved thermal emitters for practical, module-scale applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a module-scale polaritonic thermal emitter with controlled thermal emission and enhanced thermal stability.
• To address the limitations of current thermal emitters for advanced thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems.
• To demonstrate industrial-level reliability for large-scale TPV power generation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a hierarchical sequential-learning optimization framework for emitter design.
• Experimental realization of a 6-inch module-scale polaritonic thermal emitter.
• Utilizing a complex photon polariton, combining Tamm and surface plasmon polaritons, for bandwidth-controlled emission.

Main Results:

• Achieved bandwidth-controlled thermal emission with a 300 nm bandwidth at 1473 K.
• Demonstrated excellent thermal stability at high operating temperatures.
• Attained a spectral efficiency of 65.6% (0.4-8 μm) with <4% deviation over the 6-inch emitter.

Conclusions:

• The developed polaritonic thermal emitter overcomes critical TPV challenges, enabling practical deployment.
• The module-scale design and high spectral efficiency show industrial-level reliability for TPV applications.
• This advancement paves the way for more efficient and stable energy conversion systems.