Near-Field Energy Extraction with Hyperbolic Metamaterials

作者：Shi Jiawei; Liu Baoan; Li Pengfei; Ng Li Yen; Shen Sheng^*

来源：Nano Letters, 2015, 15(2): 1217-1221.

DOI：10.1021/nl504332t

• Near field
• energy transfer
• hyperbolic metamaterials

Although blackbody radiation described by Plancks law is commonly regarded as the maximum of thermal radiation, thermal energy transfer in the near-field can exceed the blackbody limit due to the contribution from evanescent waves. Here, we demonstrate experimentally a broadband thermal energy extraction device based on hyperbolic metamaterials that can significantly enhance near-field thermal energy transfer. The thermal extractor made from hyperbolic metamaterials does not absorb or emit any radiation but serves as a transparent pipe guiding the radiative energy from the emitter. At the same gap between an emitter and an absorber, we observe that near-field thermal energy transfer with thermal extraction can be enhanced by around 1 order of magnitude, compared to the case without thermal extraction. The novel thermal extraction scheme has important practical implications in a variety of technologies, e.g., thermophotovoltaic energy conversion, radiative cooling, thermal infrared imaging, and heat assisted magnetic recording.

• 出版日期2015-2