Antenna-coupled single-metal thermocouple array for energy harvesting

We study the generation of thermoelectricity by arrays of antenna-coupled nanothermocouples (ACNTCs) in response to long-wave infrared radiation. An ACNTC is constructed from a dipole antenna and a nanoscale thermocouple (NTC). The NTCs are based on a newly discovered thermoelectric effect in single-metal nanostructures with cross-sectional discontinuity. Dependences on antenna array size and polarization are investigated. We show that large arrays of ACNTCs are capable of converting optical energy to measurable electrical signals. This could open the possibility to use such devices for solar energy harvesting in the IR portion of the spectrum, which is inaccessible to photovoltaics.