PETE: A Hybrid Photonic and Electronic Thermoelectric Device for Direct Heat-to-Electricity Conversion
Abstract
Photonic heat engines can achieve high conversion efficiencies, but their far-field power density is constrained by the blackbody limit. Near-field devices overcome this limitation through photon tunneling across a nanoscale vacuum gap; however, the mechanical spacers required to maintain this gap introduce parasitic heat conduction. We propose PETE (Photonic and Electronic Thermoelectric), a hybrid solid-state architecture in which thermoelectric generator (TEG) legs replace passive spacers. The legs simultaneously maintain the near-field gap and convert conducted heat into electricity. We evaluate PETE using an indium tin oxide emitter, an indium arsenide photovoltaic cell, and TaFeSb- and ZrNiSn-based Half-Heusler thermoelectric materials. At a hot-side temperature of 977K, the device achieves a power density of 18.6 W·cm−2 at 19.76% efficiency. This power density is approximately twice that of either the standalone near-field thermophotovoltaic device or the standalone TEG, while the efficiency is 44% higher than that of the standalone TEG. The performance can be tuned through thermoelectric geometry and material selection, and its adaptability is demonstrated for a broad range of thermoelectric materials and operating temperatures. PETE provides a general strategy for recovering spacer-mediated heat leakage in near-field photonic heat engines.
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BibTeX
@misc{mechlia2026pete,
title = {{PETE: A Hybrid Photonic and Electronic Thermoelectric Device for Direct Heat-to-Electricity Conversion}},
author = {Yasmine Ben Mechlia and Shuo Chen and Bo Zhao},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2611.01644},
eprint = {2611.01644},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.01644},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - PETE: A Hybrid Photonic and Electronic Thermoelectric Device for Direct Heat-to-Electricity Conversion
AU - Yasmine Ben Mechlia
AU - Shuo Chen
AU - Bo Zhao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2611.01644
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.01644
AB - Photonic heat engines can achieve high conversion efficiencies, but their far-field power density is constrained by the blackbody limit. Near-field devices overcome this limitation through photon tunneling across a nanoscale vacuum gap; however, the mechanical spacers required to maintain this gap introduce parasitic heat conduction. We propose PETE (Photonic and Electronic Thermoelectric), a hybrid solid-state architecture in which thermoelectric generator (TEG) legs replace passive spacers. The legs simultaneously maintain the near-field gap and convert conducted heat into electricity. We evaluate PETE using an indium tin oxide emitter, an indium arsenide photovoltaic cell, and TaFeSb- and ZrNiSn-based Half-Heusler thermoelectric materials. At a hot-side temperature of 977K, the device achieves a power density of 18.6 W·cm^−2 at 19.76% efficiency. This power density is approximately twice that of either the standalone near-field thermophotovoltaic device or the standalone TEG, while the efficiency is 44% higher than that of the standalone TEG. The performance can be tuned through thermoelectric geometry and material selection, and its adaptability is demonstrated for a broad range of thermoelectric materials and operating temperatures. PETE provides a general strategy for recovering spacer-mediated heat leakage in near-field photonic heat engines.
ER -