University of Twente Student Theses
Solar energy harvesting using graphene rectennas : a proof-of-concept study
Stellingwerff, S.A. (2015) Solar energy harvesting using graphene rectennas : a proof-of-concept study.
|
PDF
12MB |
| Abstract: | Presented in this work is the research performed as part of a Masters assignment at the Optical Sciences group at the University of Twente. In this research, a new technique for harvesting energy from sunlight, called solar rectification, is investigated. Using graphene patterned in specific geometric shapes, it is hoped that sunlight can be converted into AC electricity by use of antennas, and then converted into usable DC electricity using so-called geometric diodes made from graphene. The hope is that graphene can be patterned in such a way that it serves both purposes simultaneously. Simulations have been done to investigate the ideal shape of geometric diodes. Graphene from different sources was characterized and several devices were fabricated. Research was done to see if these graphene devices could be used as geometric diodes, in a first step toward realizing solar rectification using geometrically patterned graphene. A successful fabrication process was established, and it was found that devices could be fabricated that showed nonlinear behavior. It could not be concluded that these devices worked as diodes, but the knowledge and experience gained during this project are expected to help future research into this topic. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | TNW: Science and Technology |
| Subject: | 33 physics |
| Programme: | Applied Physics MSc (60436) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/67117 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
Show download statistics for this publication
Show download statistics for this publicationRepository Staff Only: item control page