Near-field negative electroluminescent cooling via nanoparticle doping

Abstract

Modulating the photon tunneling probability is the key to control the near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) between two objects. It has been found that nanoparticle doping technology can enable plentiful resonance modes which significantly adjust photon emission spectra. In this work, we theoretically analyze the performance of a near-field negative electroluminescent refrigeration (NFNELR) system consisting a Mie-metamaterial emitter and mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) receiver with spacing between them less than the thermal wavelength. The emitter consists of graphene/SiC core-shell (GSCS) nanoparticle-embedded thin film of Si deposited on bulk Si. We show that with the inclusion of GSCS nanoparticles, the thin layer of Mie-metamaterial acts like an effective medium that excites radiative heat transfer for the photons above the band gap of MCT. We analyze NFNELR performance for various bias voltages, various cryogenic temperatures, various volume fractions and various chemical potentials of GSCS nanoparticles. We also would like to emphasize that in order to improve the performance of the NFNELR system, the host matrix materials chosen are not necessarily stationary. These results provide a powerful way to rouse and regulate the NFRHT, meanwhile in turn, open up a way to explore actual development and present some guidance for optimal design of NFRHT.