Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Infrared diodes have the potential to generate electricity by harnessing thermal radiation. This mechanism offers a promising route for harvesting energy from Earth’s ambient heat through infrared emission. However, its practical application has long been limited by extremely low energy conversion efficiency. In this paper, we systematically investigate both the energy conversion efficiency and external quantum efficiency of infrared diodes when oriented toward a sufficiently cold surface. Our measurements reveal that the external quantum efficiency can reach up to 60% under optimal diode temperature conditions. In contrast, the energy conversion efficiency remains below 10 –3 %, highlighting a significant gap between photon conversion and useable electrical power. Furthermore, our theoretical analysis suggests viable strategies for significantly improving power generation. These insights create avenues for advancing thermoradiative energy harvesting technologies and overcoming current efficiency limitations.
Source: ACS Applied Energy Materials
Authors: Toru Matsuura, Kazuma Handa, Masakazu Arakawa
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4415375201