Speaker
Description
Energy concerns are among the main obstacles to maintaining the viability of our planet and modern life, as fossil fuels non-renewable energy resources remain the primary source of global energy consumption. This study presents a theoretical investigation into the spectral performance of a metamaterial structure composed of tungsten (W) and hafnium dioxide (HfO₂) layers, specifically designed using the Finite Element Method (FEM) for energy conversion applications. The properties of materials were studied using DFT with Quantum ESPRESSO and the Materials Project, and were taken from databases. The proposed structure is a broadband, wide-angle, and polarization-independent rectangular cuboid metamaterial (MDM) emitter intended for power generation systems, falling under the category of renewable energy technologies. The designed emitter is configured in a three-layer arrangement to enhance light absorption and emission characteristics at specific wavelengths, with a cut-off wavelength of 2.3 μm for an InGaAsSb photovoltaic cell operating at high temperatures. To achieve the desired broadband emission, various geometric parameters were optimized, including the cuboid’s height and length, the dielectric layer thickness, and the unit cell width. Meanwhile, the width and height of the ground plane, along with the cuboid's distance from the center, were kept constant. Numerical simulations demonstrated a mean emittance of 94% in the wavelength range of 0.3–2.3 μm. Compared to other designs, the proposed emitter exhibits higher spectral efficiency under high-temperature conditions. Notably, at 1600 K, the rectangular cuboid emitter achieved a spectral efficiency of 90% with an InGaAsSb bandgap of 0.53 eV. Thus, the primary advantages of this study over previous ones include high spectral efficiency at specific bandgaps (indicating high conversion efficiency), cost-effectiveness, ease of large-scale production, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and long-term durability under high temperatures.
Keywords: Selective Emitter, Energy, Thermo-photovoltaic, Metamaterial
