$1M Air Force Award To Harness Solar and Thermal Energy for Spacecrafts
MIE Associate Professor Yi Zheng, in collaboration with Faraday Technology Inc., received a $1 million research grant from the U.S. Air Force, for a “Concentric Ultra-Dark Solar-Thermal Absorber and Metasurface Thermal Emitter for Thermophotovoltaic Power Conversion.”
Abstract
There is a pressing need to achieve functional materials with enhanced thermal radiative properties as well as high-temperature resistance capabilities, which have direct applications in photovoltaic energy harvesting and conversion in harsh environments. Wavelength-selective thermal emission using micro/nano-patterned surfaces has been studied over the last few decades. However, a comprehensive study relevant to controllable optothermal properties with simultaneous high-temperature stability, narrowband selectivity, and directional emittance is still lacking. Photonic metasurfaces with unique properties primarily determined by their physical structures promise innovative approaches in this context. This project aims to fundamentally study and experimentally demonstrate photonic metasurfaces with excellent thermal stability and spectral and directional thermal emission, so that the radiative heat transfer can be efficiently controlled. The PI Zheng will design and fabricate selective emissive metasurfaces, and conduct their optothermal stability validation, which can be used for low-bandgap thermophotovoltaic devices in a concentrated solar power system. The goal is to develop a high-performance metasurface-based thermal device for spacecraft harvesting solar and thermal energy with power generation capacity that meets the U.S. Air Force’s needs.