Graphene solar thermal power generation

Are graphene-based solar-thermal materials better than carbon-based materials?

Carbon-based materials, especially graphene, have the advantages of broadband absorption and excellent photothermal properties, and hold promise for solar–thermal energy conversion. However, to date, graphene-based solar–thermal materials with superior omnidirectional light harvesting performances remain elusive.

Does graphene grating have a selective solar absorber?

Previously, a 90-nm-thick graphene grating metamaterial with ~85% absorptivity of unpolarized light covering almost the entire solar spectrum was demonstrated 29. However, the ultrabroadband absorption is incapable of designing a selective solar absorber due to the challenge in limiting the absorption in the desired cut-off wavelength range.

How does a graphene metamaterial layer convert light into thermal energy?

The large effective area of the graphene metamaterial sidewalls within the high electric field intensity regime leads to most of the light being absorbed by the ultrathin graphene metamaterial layer, as displayed in Fig. 2b, and subsequently be converted to thermal energy.

Can photo-generated heat be conducted through a graphene metamaterial film?

Therefore, the photo-generated heat in the graphene metamaterial layer on SGM absorber can be readily conducted through this continuous metamaterial film for further usage since the graphene metamaterials feature excellent thermal conductivity, while hardly dispersed by thermal radiation.

Can graphene oxide leaf be used for photothermal desalination?

Scalable and low-cost synthesis of black amorphous Al-Ti-O nanostructure for high-efficient photothermal desalination Synthetic graphene oxide leaf for solar desalination with zero liquid discharge Environ. Sci.

Can a graphene metamaterial be conformally coated with a 3D trench-like structure?

Herein, we demonstrate that by conformally coating a 30-nm-thick graphene metamaterial on a 3D trench-like structure to form the SGM, the exact absorption band for efficient solar-selective absorption can be precisely controlled.