BOULDER, Colo., May 27, 2021 — Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder have developed optical rectennas (short for “rectifying antennas”) capable of capturing excess heat and turning it into usable electricity. The optical rectennas are too small to see with the naked eye and roughly 100× more efficient than similar tools used for energy harvesting. The devices achieve their high level of efficiency through the process of resonant tunneling, in which electrons pass through solid matter without spending energy. Amina Belkadi, the lead author of a paper describing the research, compared...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESOptical Tech Improves Heat TransferResearchers from UCLA have demonstrated a class of optical materials that control how heat radiation is directed from an object. 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Reynard focuses on manufacturing the highest quality products with...Photonics Buyers' GuideLaCroix Precision OpticsOptics that Defend, Build, Cure and Discover The LaCroix name is synonymous with quality precision optics. Since 1947, three generations of family leadership have placed LaCroix Precision Optics...Photonics Buyers' GuideOhara Corporation, Western OfficeOhara manufactures precision optical glasses: strip/slab, cut/molded blanks, pressings, high homogeneity blanks, fine gobs, polished ball lenses, near-UV transmitting i-Line glass, ceramic...Photonics Buyers' Guide