EAGER: Manufacturing of Novel Functionally-Graded Thermoelectric Nanocomposites for Energy Application

EARLY概念探索性研究资助（EAGER）的研究目标是探索一种组合纳米颗粒合成/加工技术，以制造一种新型热电材料。热电界的一个中心问题是开发具有高品质因数ZT的材料。在过去的十年中，大多数研究活动都集中在提高峰值ZT的策略上。然而，热电装置的效率取决于工作温度范围内的平均ZT。当在大温差下操作时，空间均匀的热电材料表现出比它们的峰值低得多的平均ZT。马里兰州大学提出探索一种组合纳米颗粒合成/加工技术，以制造一种新型的热电材料：功能梯度双组分纳米复合材料，其中使用的“功能梯度”的原则结合？双组分纳米复合材料预期将提高平均和峰值品质因数。这项工作将通过实验研究模型复合材料系统中的工艺-结构-性能关系，其中纳米组分的尺寸和组成及其空间分布可以控制。拟议的研究将与马里兰州大学（UMD）的教育使命相结合，学院公园，并提供对学生学习和社区推广的广泛影响。除了直接支持本项目的学生的教育和培训机会外，代表性不足的本科生将通过本科生研究助理计划参与本研究。研究成果也将通过环境能源工程中心（CEEE）的联盟迅速传播到工业界，该联盟拥有来自30多家公司的成员。

The research objective of this EArly-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) is to explore a combinatorial nanoparticle synthesis/processing technique to manufacture a new type of thermoelectric material. A central issue in the thermoelectric community is to develop materials with a high figure-of-merit ZT. During the past decade, most research activities have focused on strategies for enhancing the peak ZT. However, the efficiency of thermoelectric devices depends on the average ZT over the working temperature range. Spatially-uniform thermoelectric materials exhibit a substantially lower average ZT than their peak value when operating over a large temperature difference. The University of Maryland proposes to explore a combinatorial nanoparticle synthesis/processing technique to manufacture a new type of thermoelectric material: functionally-graded two-component nanocomposites, in which the use of the 'functionally graded' principle in conjunction with ?two-component nanocomposites? is expected to enhance both average and peak figure-of-merit. This effort will experimentally examine the process-structure-property relationships in model composite systems where the nanocomponent size and composition and their spatial distribution can be controlled. The proposed research will be integrated with the educational mission of University of Maryland (UMD), College Park and provide a broad range of impact on student learning and community outreach. Apart from the education and training opportunities for the students directly supported in this project, underrepresented undergraduate students will be involved in this research through the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program. Research results will also be quickly disseminated to industry via the consortium of Center for Environmental Energy Engineering (CEEE), which has members from more than thirty companies.