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    Transparent Power-Generating Windows Based on Solar-Thermal-Electric Conversion
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Zhang, Qihao; Huang, Aibin; Ai, Xin; Liao, Jincheng; Song, Qingfeng; Reith, Heiko; Cao, Xun; Fang, Yueping; Schierning, Gabi; Nielsch, Kornelius; Bai, Shengqiang; Chen, Lidong
    Integrating transparent solar-harvesting systems into windows can provide renewable on-site energy supply without altering building aesthetics or imposing further design constraints. Transparent photovoltaics have shown great potential, but the increased transparency comes at the expense of reduced power-conversion efficiency. Here, a new technology that overcomes this limitation by combining solar-thermal-electric conversion with a material's wavelength-selective absorption is presented. A wavelength-selective film consisting of Cs0.33WO3 and resin facilitates high visible-light transmittance (up to 88%) and outstanding ultraviolet and infrared absorbance, thereby converting absorbed light into heat without sacrificing transparency. A prototype that couples the film with thermoelectric power generation produces an extraordinary output voltage of ≈4 V within an area of 0.01 m2 exposed to sunshine. Further optimization design and experimental verification demonstrate high conversion efficiency comparable to state-of-the-art transparent photovoltaics, enriching the library of on-site energy-saving and transparent power generation.
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    A Bi2Te3-Filled Nickel Foam Film with Exceptional Flexibility and Thermoelectric Performance
    (Basel : MDPI, 2022) Shi, Taifeng; Chen, Mengran; Liu, Zhenguo; Song, Qingfeng; Ou, Yixiang; Wang, Haoqi; Liang, Jia; Zhang, Qihao; Mao, Zhendong; Wang, Zhiwen; Zheng, Jingyvan; Han, Qingchen; Razeeb, Kafil M.; Zong, Peng-an
    The past decades have witnessed surging demand for wearable electronics, for which thermoelectrics (TEs) are considered a promising self-charging technology, as they are capable of converting skin heat into electricity directly. Bi2Te3 is the most-used TE material at room temperature, due to a high zT of ~1. However, it is different to integrate Bi2Te3 for wearable TEs owing to its intrinsic rigidity. Bi2Te3 could be flexible when made thin enough, but this implies a small electrical and thermal load, thus severely restricting the power output. Herein, we developed a Bi2Te3/nickel foam (NiFoam) composite film through solvothermal deposition of Bi2Te3 nanoplates into porous NiFoam. Due to the mesh structure and ductility of Ni Foam, the film, with a thickness of 160 μm, exhibited a high figure of merit for flexibility, 0.016, connoting higher output. Moreover, the film also revealed a high tensile strength of 12.7 ± 0.04 MPa and a maximum elongation rate of 28.8%. In addition, due to the film’s high electrical conductivity and enhanced Seebeck coefficient, an outstanding power factor of 850 μW m−1 K−2 was achieved, which is among the highest ever reported. A module fabricated with five such n-type legs integrated electrically in series and thermally in parallel showed an output power of 22.8 nW at a temperature gap of 30 K. This work offered a cost-effective avenue for making highly flexible TE films for power supply of wearable electronics by intercalating TE nanoplates into porous and meshed-structure materials.