Description of Project

Our goal is to use a "thermal metamaterial" to control the emission of radiation at high temperatures, an advance that could bring devices able to efficiently harvest waste heat from power plants and factories. Roughly 50 to 60 percent of the energy generated in coal and oil-based power plants is wasted as heat. However, thermophotovoltaic devices that generate electricity from thermal radiation might be adapted to industrial pipes in factories and power plants, as well as on car engines and automotive exhaust systems, to recapture much of the wasted energy. In new findings, Purdue researchers recently demonstrated how to restrict emission of thermal radiation to a portion of the spectrum most needed for thermophotovoltaic technology. These devices require spectrally tailored thermal emission at high temperatures, and our research shows that intrinsic material properties can be controlled so that a very hot object glows only in certain colors. The main idea is to start controlling thermal emission at record high temperatures in ways that haven't been done before. The thermal metamaterial – nanoscale layers of tungsten and hafnium oxide – was used to suppress the emission of one portion of the spectrum while enhancing emission in another. (An animation is available at https://youtu.be/mRhcNF1yyyU.)

Start Date

March 2022

Postdoctoral Qualifications

The potential candidate is expected to have a PhD in Electrical Engineering or Materials Science and Engineering or Physics with a strong background in one or more of the following areas: Thin Film Depositions and Characterizations, Advanced Functional Materials, Thermal Photonics. Experiences in materials and optical characterizations are highly desirable. Strong abilities for independent, interdisciplinary research, and excellent oral and written communication skills.

Co-Advisors

                 1.            Zubin Jacob, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University.

Email: zjacob@purdue.edu ; Website: https://www.electrodynamics.org/

2.            Prof. Shweta Singh, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University. Email:

                  Email: singh294@purdue.edu ; Website: https://sites.google.com/site/shwetasinghlab/

Bibliography

1. Siegel, Robert, and Charles M. Spuckler. "Analysis of thermal radiation effects on temperatures in turbine engine thermal barrier coatings." Materials Science and Engineering: A 245, no. 2 (1998): 150-159.
2. Wang, Xueji, Ryan Starko-Bowes, Chinmay Khandekar, and Zubin Jacob. "HIGH-TEMPERATURE THERMAL PHOTONICS." Annual Review of Heat Transfer 23 (2020).