Related papers: A thermodynamic cycle for the solar cell
Localized heating of a gas by intense laser pulses leads to interesting acoustic, hydrodynamic and optical effects with numerous applications in science and technology, including controlled wave guiding and remote atmosphere sensing.…
We propose a charge pump which converts solar energy into DC electricity. It is based on cyclic changes in the spontaneous electric polarization of a photoferroelectric material, which allows a transfer of charge from a low to a high…
We present a mesoscopic model for thermoelectric phenomena in terms of an interacting particle system, a lattice electron gas dynamics that is a suitable extension of the standard simple exclusion process. We concentrate on electronic heat…
A design tool was formulated for optimizing the efficiency of inorganic, thin-film, photovoltaic solar cells. The solar cell can have multiple semiconductor layers in addition to antireflection coatings, passivation layers, and buffer…
The autonomous heat engine is a model system of autonomous nonequilibrium systems like biological cells, exploiting nonequilibrium flow for operations. As the Carnot engine has essentially contributed to the equilibrium thermodynamics,…
Carnot's four-part ideal-gas cycle includes both isothermal and adiabatic expansions and compressions. Analyzing this cycle provides the fundamental basis for statistical thermodynamics. We explore the cycle here from a pedagogical view in…
Intramolecular ion-pair interactions yield shape and functionality to many molecules. With proper orientation, these interactions overcome steric factors and are responsible for the compact structures of several peptides. In this study, we…
The purpose of this article is to present the thermodynamics of the pseudospin-electron model in the case of the different type interactions between pseudospins. First, we provide an overview of the results of works which deal with the…
We review a series of experimental studies of the thermodynamics of nonequilibrium processes at the microscale. In particular, in these experiments we studied the fluctuations of the thermodynamic properties of a single optically-trapped…
We study two different models of optomechanical systems where a temperature gradient between two radiation baths is exploited for inducing self-sustained coherent oscillations of a mechanical resonator. Viewed from a thermodynamic…
We introduce a new class of mesoscopic heat engines consisting of a tunnel junction coupled to a linear thermal bath. Work is produced by transporting electrons up against a voltage bias like in ordinary thermoelectrics but heat is…
In situ observations of the solar wind frequently show the temperature of $\alpha$-particles (fully ionized helium), $T_\alpha$, to significantly differ from that of protons (ionized hydrogen), $T_p$. Many heating processes in the plasma…
Perovskite solar cells (PSC) are shown to behave as coupled ionic-electronic conductors with strong evidence that the ionic environment moderates both the rate of electron-hole recombination and the band offsets in planar PSC. Numerous…
Porous electrodes composed of multiphase active materials are widely used in Li-ion batteries, but their dynamics are poorly understood. Two-phase models are largely empirical, and no models exist for three or more phases. Using a modified…
Through experimental investigation into the behaviour of a polar dielectric working fluid, an ideal quasi-thermodynamic cycle has been established. Particular stages of this cycle are described in terms of a condensed-matter analogue of the…
The radiation pressure exerted by incoherent light on diverse surfaces is examined. The thermodynamic rule, first given by Carnot in 1824, describes the limitation to the amount of free energy that can be obtained from a source of thermal…
This work presents a detailed analysis of the photothermionic-photovoltaic hybrid solar device. The electrons in this hybrid device gain energy from both the solar photons and thermophotons generated within the device, and hence the device…
In this work, a new concept for the conversion of heat into electricity is presented. The conversion is based on the combined effects of a thermoacoustic prime mover coupled with a magnetohydrodynamic generator, using different working…
A nematic liquid-crystal cell subject to an electric field created by electrodes held at constant potential is modeled as a variable capacitor in an RC circuit. The state of the system is characterized in terms of the director field in the…
Active matter constantly dissipates energy to power the self-propulsion of its microscopic constituents. This opens the door to designing innovative cyclic engines without any equilibrium equivalent. We offer a consistent thermodynamic…