STTR Phase I: Fabrication of Low-Cost and High-Efficiency Thermoelectric Materials

STTR第一阶段：低成本高效热电材料的制造

• 批准号: 0930554
• 负责人: Ruxandra Vidu
• 金额: $ 14.93万
• 依托单位: AMEROM LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-07-01 至 2010-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0930554&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Fabrication; Low; Cost

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project aims at establishing the feasibility of fabricating high-efficiency nanostructured thermoelectric at low cost. CoSb3 skutterudite nanowires will be grown by electrochemical deposition using template synthesis. After template removal, a novel controlled surface modification step will be applied to nanowires. We expect this particular surface treatment alone to reduce thermal conductivity of nanostructured CoSb3 to a greater degree compared to electrical conductivity due to differences in their respective scattering lengths. Nanostructured CoSb3 skutterudite will be grown, doped and treated under various fabrication conditions, and then characterized. Research will lead to tailored thermoelectric properties of the nanowire arrays. We will address some of these challenges regarding both size and surface modification. Complex nanoscale characterization will be performed using electrochemical techniques, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy (SEM, TEM, EDS and EELS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Measurements of electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient will be performed to study the efficiency of these nanostructures as a function of wire size, chemical composition and surface roughness in order to obtain an optimal condition for the highest efficiency. This technology lays the foundation for large-scale fabrication of high efficiency thermoelectric devices for energy conversion. The unique combination of electrochemical deposition and surface roughening has great potential for mass production of low-cost and high-efficiency thermoelectric materials that can not be achieved by bulk processing techniques. Skutterudite group (e. g., CoSb3) thermoelectric materials are used to generate electrical power from different heat sources (e. g., stove top generators, engine exhaust powered alternator replacement, self-powered appliances), but the current market is limited by a low efficiency. With an increased ZT, CoSb3 processed by this technology can be used in many power conversion devices operating at intermediate temperatures; moreover, it may compete with Bi2Te3 for low temperature applications. Additionally, this technology will enhance the scientific and technological understanding of nanostructured thermoelectric materials. To date, most of the work on electrodeposited thermoelectric thin films and nanostructures focuses on synthesis, primarily investigating compositions and structure. A dissonant gap between synthesis and characterization of the thermoelectric properties, namely the Seebeck coefficient and thermoelectric figure of merit, creates only a partial picture for published works. While composition and structure of electrodeposits are crucial indicators of physical properties, their measured thermoelectric performance will ultimately dictate their usefulness in heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) in to vehicles and solar thermal industry.

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该小企业技术转让第一阶段项目旨在建立以低成本制造高效纳米结构热电的可行性。CoSb 3方钴矿纳米线将使用模板合成通过电化学沉积生长。模板去除后，一个新的控制表面改性步骤将被应用到纳米线。我们期望这种特殊的表面处理单独降低纳米结构的CoSb 3的热导率到一个更大的程度相比，由于其各自的散射长度的差异的电导率。纳米结构的CoSb 3方钴矿将生长，掺杂和处理在各种制造条件下，然后表征。研究将导致定制的纳米线阵列的热电性能。我们将解决其中一些关于尺寸和表面改性的挑战。将使用电化学技术、X射线衍射、电子显微镜（SEM、TEM、EDS和EELS）和X射线光电子能谱（XPS）进行复杂的纳米级表征。将进行电导率，热导率和塞贝克系数的测量，以研究这些纳米结构的效率作为导线尺寸，化学成分和表面粗糙度的函数，以获得最高效率的最佳条件。该技术为大规模制造用于能量转换的高效热电器件奠定了基础。电化学沉积和表面粗糙化的独特组合具有大规模生产低成本和高效率热电材料的巨大潜力，这是块体加工技术无法实现的。Skutterudite group（e.例如，在一个实施例中，CoSb 3）热电材料用于从不同的热源（例如，例如，在一个实施例中，炉顶发电机、发动机排气驱动的交流发电机替代品、自供电设备），但目前的市场受到低效率的限制。随着ZT的增加，通过该技术处理的CoSb 3可以用于在中间温度下操作的许多功率转换器件;此外，它可以与Bi 2 Te 3竞争低温应用。此外，这项技术将提高对纳米结构热电材料的科学和技术理解。迄今为止，大多数关于电沉积热电薄膜和纳米结构的工作集中在合成上，主要研究成分和结构。热电性能的合成和表征之间的不和谐差距，即塞贝克系数和热电优值，只为已发表的作品创造了部分画面。虽然电沉积物的组成和结构是物理性质的关键指标，但其测量的热电性能最终将决定其在车辆和太阳能热工业中的加热，通风和/或空调（HVAC）中的有用性。