https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00090-4
Regular Article
Thermodynamic bounds on work extraction from photocells and photosynthesis
1
Texas A&M University, 77843, College Station, TX, USA
2
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 208016, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
3
Princeton University, 08544, Princeton, NJ, USA
4
Baylor University, 76798, Waco, TX, USA
5
Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100, Rehovot, Israel
Received:
19
June
2020
Accepted:
5
January
2021
Published online:
12
April
2021
We put forward a unified thermodynamic analysis of generic minimal models of solar-powered cyclic processes that can be viewed as quantum heat engines. The resulting general efficiency bound for work production is consistent with the second law of thermodynamics if it allows for heat and entropy generation. This bound is shown to interpolate between the Carnot and the Shockley–Queisser bounds. Power boost induced by coherence or multiexciton generation does not affect the efficiency. These features may allow us to design solar-pumped schemes that are optimal, both energetically and operationally.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021
