We experimentally demonstrated the operation of a rectenna for harvesting thermal (blackbody) radiation and converting it into dc electric power. The device integrates an ultrafast rectifier, the self-switching nanodiode, with a wideband log-periodic spiral microantenna. The radiation from the thermal source drives the rectenna out of thermal equilibrium, permitting the rectification of the excess thermal fluctuations from the antenna. The power conversion efficiency increases with the source temperatures up to 0.02% at 973 K. The low efficiency is attributed mainly to the impedance mismatch between antenna and rectifier, and partially to the large field of view of the antenna. Our device not only opens a potential solution for harvesting thermal energy but also provides a platform for experimenting with Brownian ratchets.
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22 December 2014
Research Article|
December 23 2014
Micro rectennas: Brownian ratchets for thermal-energy harvesting
Y. Pan;
Y. Pan
1School of Engineering and Computing Sciences,
Durham University
, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
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C. V. Powell;
C. V. Powell
1School of Engineering and Computing Sciences,
Durham University
, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
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A. M. Song;
A. M. Song
2School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering,
University of Manchester
, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
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C. Balocco
C. Balocco
a)
1School of Engineering and Computing Sciences,
Durham University
, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
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a)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: claudio.balocco@durham.ac.uk
Appl. Phys. Lett. 105, 253901 (2014)
Article history
Received:
October 23 2014
Accepted:
December 15 2014
Citation
Y. Pan, C. V. Powell, A. M. Song, C. Balocco; Micro rectennas: Brownian ratchets for thermal-energy harvesting. Appl. Phys. Lett. 22 December 2014; 105 (25): 253901. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4905089
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