Rectifying antennas - "rectennas" - are used as parasitic power capture devices that absorb radio frequency (RF) energy and convert it into usable electrical power. Constructing such devices to absorb and rectify at optical wavelengths has proved impractical in the past, but the advent of carbon nanotubes and advances in microscopic manufacturing technology have allowed engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology to create rectennas that capture and convert light to direct electrical current. The researchers believe that their creation may eventually help double the efficiency of solar energy harvesting.
First created more than 40 years ago, rectennas have been used to capture and convert energy at various wavelengths as short as ten microns (in the infrared range), and have found use in such things as re-using localized RF energy to power near-field communications (NFC). However, researchers have been trying to create devices that operate at visible wavelengths with little success.
"The physics and the scientific concepts have been out there," said associate professor Baratunde Cola. "Now was the perfect time to try some new things and make a device work, thanks to advances in fabrication technology."
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