SBIR Phase I: Process scale-up for Manufacturing a New Class of Bulk Nanomaterials with High Thermoelectric Figure-of-Merit

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This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will scale-up a novel manufacturing route to obtain a new class of high-figure-of-merit (ZT) thermoelectric nanomaterials. Thermoelectrics are attractive for use in heating or cooling systems without moving parts or the use of greenhouse gases, and for generating electricity from waste heat, e.g., from vehicle exhausts and factories. The low efficiency (measured by ZT) of presently used thermoelectric materials limits their use in emerging applications. A recently developed method provides a way for obtaining bulk thermoelectric nanomaterials of both p- and n-type with 25% higher ZT, through a combination of chemical doping and nanostructuring. The objective of this project is to scale up this method to obtain kilogram quantities of pnictogen chalcogenides with ZT ~ 1. Our materials synthesis and processing scale up efforts will be guided by thermoelectric property measurements and materials characterization. The structure-processing-property correlations unearthed during our studies will identify the synthesis and processing parameters needed to retain the high ZT during scale-up, and will provide clues to further increase ZT (e.g., to 1.5). The scaled-up process will serve as a basis for expanding the range of application of thermoelectric materials for applications in high-efficiency refrigeration and heat harvesting. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be to unlock and access the multi-billion dollar potential of thermoelectrics for transforming solid-state cooling and heat harvesting. The project findings will be applicable to multiple materials systems that can be used for either solid-state cooling or power generation. Thermoelectric materials already represent a billion-dollar industry, but have the potential to access a market several times larger, if the conversion efficiency is increased by a factor of two. The project will scale-up a nanomaterials manufacturing technology targeted to create new high efficiency solid-state cooling devices that can replace the current refrigeration and air-conditioning technologies based on environmentally unfriendly gases, and create high-efficiency electricity generators from waste heat, significantly expanding the thermoelectric markets and impacting global energy usage and addressing global environmental concerns. This project will also lead to introduction of a new class of nanomaterials with superior properties to those available currently in the marketplace. The project is anticipated to create at least 10-20 jobs in the near-term, and will position New York state and the United States as global leaders in thermoelectrics innovation and nanomaterials manufacturing.