Rectennas for Thermal-Energy Conversion

Pan, Yi; Powell, Catrin; Balocco, Claudio

Abstract

We demonstrated the conversion of thermal energy in the form of far- and mid-infrared using a micro rectenna, consisting of a spiral antenna coupled to an ultra-fast nanodiode, the so-called self-switching device (SSD). A maximum efficiency of 0.02 % was measured at a 973 K (700 °C) using a calibrated black-body radiator illuminating the rectenna. The relatively low efficiency was due to the impedance mismatch between the diode and the antenna, and can be reduced by designing a suitable matching structure. The fabrication of larger rectenna array could be exploited, for example, to harvest wasted thermal energy from exhaust pipes and industrial machinery.

Citation

Pan, Y., Powell, C., & Balocco, C. (2014, September). Rectennas for Thermal-Energy Conversion. Presented at 39th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and THz Waves, Tucson, AZ, USA

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: 39th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and THz Waves
• Online Publication Date: Nov 20, 2014
• Publication Date: Nov 20, 2014
• Deposit Date: Oct 15, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 4, 2015
• Pages: 1-2
• Series ISSN: 2162-2027
• Book Title: 2014 39th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz 2014). Proceedings of a meeting held 14-19 September 2014, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/irmmw-thz.2014.6956198
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1155422