Solar thermophotovoltaics: reshaping the solar spectrum
Recently, there has been increasing interest in utilizing solar thermophotovoltaics (STPV) to convert sunlight into electricity, given their potential to exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit. Encouragingly, there have also been several recent demonstrations of …
Plasmonic hot carrier dynamics in solid-state and chemical systems for energy conversion
Surface plasmons provide a pathway to efficiently absorb and confine light in metallic nanostructures, thereby bridging photonics to the nano scale. The decay of surface plasmons generates energetic ‘hot’ carriers, which can drive chemical reactions or be …
Advancing colloidal quantum dot photovoltaic technology
Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are attractive materials for solar cells due to their low cost, ease of fabrication and spectral tunability. Progress in CQD photovoltaic technology over the past decade has resulted in power conversion efficiencies approaching …
Enhancing radiative energy transfer through thermal extraction
Thermal radiation plays an increasingly important role in many emerging energy technologies, such as thermophotovoltaics, passive radiative cooling and wearable cooling clothes . One of the fundamental constraints in thermal radiation is the Stefan-Boltzmann …
Heat meets light on the nanoscale
We discuss the state-of-the-art and remaining challenges in the fundamental understanding and technology development for controlling light-matter interactions in nanophotonic environments in and away from thermal equilibrium. The topics covered range from the …
Solar-Powered Plasmon-Enhanced Heterogeneous Catalysis
Photocatalysis uses semiconductors to convert sunlight into chemical energy. Recent reports have shown that plasmonic nanostructures can be used to extend semiconductor light absorption or to drive direct photocatalysis with visible light at their surface. In …
Nanophotonics-enabled smart windows, buildings and wearables
Design and production of spectrally smart windows, walls, roofs and fabrics has a long history, which includes early examples of applied nanophotonics. Evolving nanoscience has a special role to play as it provides the means to improve the functionality of …
Colloidal nanocrystals for quality lighting and displays: milestones and recent developments
Recent advances in colloidal synthesis of nanocrystals have enabled high-quality high-efficiency light-emitting diodes, displays with significantly broader color gamut, and optically-pumped lasers spanning the whole visible regime. Here we review these …
Copercolating Networks: An Approach for Realizing High-Performance Transparent Conductors using Multicomponent Nanostructured Networks
Although transparent conductive oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO) are widely employed as transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs) for applications such as touch screens and displays, new nanostructured TCEs are of interest for future applications, …
Spectral light management for solar energy conversion systems
Due to the inherent broadband nature of the solar radiation, combined with the narrow spectral sensitivity range of direct solar to electricity devices, there is a massive opportunity to manipulate the solar spectrum to increase the functionality and …
Special issue: Smart nanophotonics for renewable energy and sustainability
This special issue on the topic of “Smart Nanophotonics for Renewable Energy and Sustainability” is a collection of invited papers highlighting recent advances in applications of light management to renewable energy problems. The manuscripts cover a range …