SUMMARY

Radiative energy converters are semiconductor devices that realize energy conversions between local thermal energy and electricity. These newly proposed solid-state heat engines/pumps are considered as promising technologies for energy harvesting and conversion applications on thermal energy storage, aerospace power generation, local thermal management, and thermal regulation for building and human thermal comfort. However, the detailed balance analysis of radiative energy converters cannot serve as an accurate modeling method to capture the optical and electrical processes. This work is designated to develop a detailed and comprehensive modeling method to depict the photon-charge coupled transport for radiative energy converters, investigate the unique physical phenomena induced by the photon chemical potential inside the devices and explore the performance enhancement by using two-dimensional (2D) materials. This work can also benefit the design and optimization of solid-state energy converters with broader application scenarios. Fundamental understanding of the photon chemical potential may exploit a new pathway of control the radiative heat transfer for both far- and near-field regimes.