(704d) Erbia-Coated Quartz Fibers as a Selective Emitter for Low Temperature Tpv Applications

Thermophotovoltaic generators convert radiative thermal energy to electrical energy. Basically, any source of thermal energy could be used to heat the emitter. One of the major challenges for photovoltaic generators is the mismatch between the emitter and the PV cell bandgap. Rare-earth oxides are known to radiate infrared radiation in a very narrow range that can be matched with different types of PV cells. In this study, selective emitters made by erbia-coated quartz fibers using dip coating technique were made. The fabricated emitter utilizes the high thermal and mechanical stability, high surface area to volume ratio of the fibers and the selective radiation of the erbia coating. A uniform coating layer with strong adherence to the fibers was achieved by controlling the concentration of erbium oxide and the viscosity of the dipping solution. The spectral emissivity was measured using a specially designed FTIR setup