A TEG system is attached to a rotating shaft and generates electricity from radiant energy that is substantially radiatively transmitted through the atmosphere from a stationary source to the TEG system that is rotating with the shaft. The rotation of the shaft provides cooling to the TEG system, but not heat energy. The TEG system includes at least one TEG, each TEG equipped with an energy receiving and heat containment window and an energy conversion system in combination with controlled convection cooling enhanced by an airflow moving in response to the rotation of the rotating shaft. Individual TEGs having controlled convection cooling also are described.

A thermoelectric module includes a substrate, a plurality of electrodes arranged on a surface of the substrate, a plurality of thermoelectric elements respectively connected to the plurality of electrodes, and at least three terminals respectively connected to the different electrodes and connected to one or both of a first load and a second load.

A sensor for sensing a gaseous analyte comprising semiconductor phononic nanowire structure and a micro-platform. The sensor comprises a thermal element sensitive to temperature and involving variously chemi-resistive, absorptive and phase change effects. Sensor readout includes monitoring the temperature of the micro-platform.

A structure and a method for mounting thermocouple on an intermetallic compounds such as TiAl by suppressing occurrence of cracks are provided. A thermocouple mounting structure is provided with a substrate, a coating formed on the substrate and a foil joined on the coating, and sandwiches a thermocouple between the substrate and the foil. A thermocouple mounting method includes forming a coating on a substrate and welding a foil on the coating, and the welding includes arranging a thermocouple so that the substrate and the foil sandwiches the thermocouple. Occurrence of cracks in the substrate formed with intermetallic compounds can be suppressed by providing a thermal spray coating between the substrate and the foil.

Methods of making various fibers are provided including co-axial fibers with oppositely doped cladding and core are provide; hollow core doped silicon carbide fibers are provided; and doubly clad PIN junction fibers are provided. Additionally methods are provided for forming direct PN junctions between oppositely doped fibers are provided. Various thermoelectric generators that incorporate the aforementioned fibers are provided.

A thermocouple assembly for surface temperature measurement, comprising a sheathed thermocouple sensor cable, a positioning pad, receiving and/or securing a thermocouple sensor end at a desired measuring point, an insulation body, and a shielding, wherein the positioning pad is mechanically connected to the shielding. Additionally methods for the installation of a thermocouple assembly are also provided.

The present invention provides a thermoelectric conversion material having a considerably increased Seebeck coefficient, and a thermoelectric conversion device, a thermo-electrochemical cell and a thermoelectric sensor which include the material. The thermoelectric conversion material of the present invention includes a redox pair and a capture compound which captures only one of the redox pair selectively at low temperature and releases at high temperature.

A method is provided for growing a fiber structure, where the method includes: obtaining a substrate, growing an array of pedestal fibers on the substrate, growing fibers on the pedestal fibers, and depositing a coating surrounding each of the fibers. In another aspect, a method of fabricating a fiber structure includes obtaining a substrate and growing a plurality of fibers on the substrate according to 1½D printing. In another aspect, a multilayer functional fiber is provided produced by, for instance, the above-noted methods.

An imager pixel comprising a micro-platform supported by phononic nanowires, the nanowires providing an extreme-level of thermal isolation from a surrounding substrate. The micro-platform in embodiments comprises thermal sensors sensitive to heat from absorbed incident longwave/shortwave photonic irradiation. In embodiments, the pixel photonic sensing structure comprises both a thermal sensor together with a separate photodiode/phototransistor/photogate for sensing RGB and NIR wavelengths. Some embodiments comprise a micro-platform with an integral Peltier thermoelectric element permitting in situ refrigeration to cryogenic temperatures.

A temperature sensor includes a block body, a first thermocouple, and a second thermocouple. The first thermocouple includes a first strand, a second strand, a first insulator surrounding the first strand and the second strand, and a first metal sheath surrounding the first insulator. The second thermocouple includes a third strand, a fourth strand, a second insulator surrounding the third strand and the fourth strand, and a second metal sheath surrounding the second insulator. An end portion of each of the first thermocouple and the second thermocouple is buried in the block body.