Nanoantennas to collect up to 92 percent of infrared wavelengths energy

The nanoantennas.

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory believe that plastic sheets containing billions of nanoantennas that collect heat energy generated by the sun and other sources could dramatically improve the use of a type of energy we are all aware of, but have no use for so far – heat.

The researchers studied the behavior of various materials — including gold, manganese and copper — under infrared rays and used the resulting data to build computer models of nanoantennas.

They found that with the right materials, shape and size, the simulated nanoantennas could harvest up to 92 percent of the energy at infrared wavelengths.

They said that  infrared rays create alternating currents in the nanoantennas that oscillate trillions of times per second, requiring a component called a rectifier to convert the alternating current to direct current and today’s rectifiers can’t handle such high frequencies.

A nanoscale rectifier suited for this application in fact would need to be about 1,000 times smaller than current commercial devices and will require new manufacturing methods, according to the scientists.

“At this point, these antennas are good at capturing energy, but they’re not very good at converting it,” says INL engineer Dale Kotter, “but we have very promising exploratory research under way.” Kotter and Novack are also exploring ways to transform the high-frequency alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) that can be stored in batteries.

“Every process in our industrial world creates waste heat,” says INL physicist Steven Novack. “It’s energy that we just throw away.” Novack led the research team, which included INL engineer Dale Kotter, W. Dennis Slafer of MicroContinuum, Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.) and Patrick Pinhero, now at the University of Missouri.

Source: TGDaily

Popularity: 10% [?]

Technorati Tags: nanoantennas, nanoscale rectifier, solar energy

Other posts from Solar-thin-film

• Printable solar cells and battery
• Tiny Solar pannels developed and uses 100 times less silicion
• Video about Nanosolar - CIGS photovoltaics
• Startup Solyndra uses CIGS for their solar panels
• Printing solar cells like.... money
• Round CIGS are more efficient and cheaper
• Konaraka is industrializing their production of flexible solar cells
• Signet Solar will start production of thin-film solar panels by the end of this month.
• Revolutionary technology of Concentrated solar panels
• SoloPower invest $200 milion in thin-film solar cells manufacturing
• Nanosolar's progress developping the CIGS
• Nanosolar invests $300 milion more to accelerate the production
• Masdar invests US$230 million into German plant to produce thin film PV modules
• Energy Innovation has came up with new product using fresnel lens
• New Sharp's plant in japan...
• CIGS which are 17.7 percent effficient
• Peel-and-stick solar panels are part of the building
• 1GW Thin-film production tool - at NANOSOLAR
• IBM to develop CIGS 15% efficient
• Thin-film solar cells more competitive and more efficient !!
• Konaraka thin film coated solar cells printed by Inkjet Printers
• Solar Panel 80% Efficient of absorbing radiation ? Works at Night?
• Global Solar Energy is Selling CIGS Thin Film Solar Cells to Silicon Module Manufacturers
• Nanosolar and First Panels CIGS
• SunPower and its 3rd solar power plant building boom

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...