CAREER: Low Temperature Microplasmas For Thermal Energy Conversion, Education, and Outreach

CAREER摘要：低温微等离子体用于热能转换，教育和OutreachThermionic能量转换（TEC）是通过从非常热的表面发射电子的热（电子）将热量直接转换为电能。虽然在历史上主要用于空间应用中的核能源发电，但它有可能在陆地上用于废热，太阳能或核能转换。微等离子体电子能量转换发生在微等离子体（电离气体）在电子二极管之间点燃时，电极间距约为1-20微米。这种操作模式可以使操作在惰性气体中，在接近大气压力，并在较低的温度-所有必要的功能，为实际的地面应用。这一研究将有助于加深对微等离子体与电子发射之间相互作用的理解，为微等离子体-TEC器件的研究奠定基础。第一性原理理论和模拟将用于揭示微等离子体和电子发射之间的相互依赖性，并将进行实验以证实微等离子体对电子发射的增强是实现提高能量转换效率所必需的。碳基电极，包括金刚石和碳纳米管，将使用微等离子体射流加工技术合成，并用作微等离子体TEC实验中的电极。除了这项研究所建立的微等离子体TEC的功效之外，基础研究还将推进对等离子体/电极去耦的基本理解，其中存在影响从高强度放电灯到基于电弧的材料沉积的各种技术的持续问题。直接热能到电能转换可用于将太阳能，核能和废热转换为电能，能源转换技术将在建立一个更加节能和独立的国家方面发挥重要作用。这项研究的发现将为实用的地面TEC设备奠定基础，这些设备可能成为能源经济的重要组成部分，极大地影响美国的能源安全。此外，来自代表性不足的少数民族的本科生将在他们的职业生涯早期参与这项研究，创造更有效的本科研究经验，并增加获得研究生科学和工程学位的人数。使用服务学习的方法，推广到当地的K-8 youthin社区将由这些本科生，包括创建一个等离子展览acperity-wide科学节和有针对性的，互动的外展计划环境科学的中学生。这些本科生将接触到外展的成就感，并激励大量K-8青少年走向科学和工程，创造一个永久的教育循环，每一代人都能培养下一代的灵感、兴奋和发展。

CAREER Abstract:Low Temperature Microplasmas For Thermal Energy Conversion, Education, and OutreachThermionic energy conversion (TEC) is the direct conversion of heat to electricity by the thermal(thermionic) emission of electrons from a very hot surface. Though historically pursued primarilyfor electricity production from nuclear sources in space applications, it has the potential to be usedterrestrially for waste heat, solar, or nuclear energy conversion. To meet this objective, however,TEC must be enhanced to operate more efficiently at lower temperatures than historically possible.Microplasma thermionic energy conversion occurs when a microplasma (ionized gas) is ignitedbetween a thermionic diode with an electrode spacing ~1-20 micrometers. This mode of operationcould enable operation in inert gases, at near atmospheric pressures, and at lower temperatures - allnecessary features for practical terrestrial application. Understanding of the fundamental interactionbetween thermionic emission and microplasmas will be advanced by this research in order to pavethe way for microplasma-TEC devices. First principles theory and simulations will be used to revealthe inter-dependence between a microplasma and thermionic emission, and experiments will beconducted to confirm the enhancement of thermionic emission by a microplasma necessary to realizeimproved energy conversion efficiency. Carbon-based electrodes, including diamond and carbonnanotubes, will be synthesized using a microplasma jet processing technique and used as electrodesin microplasma-TEC experiments. In addition to the efficacy of microplasma-TEC being establishedby this research, fundamental studies will also advance the basic understanding of plasma/electrodecoupling, where there are persistent questions that affect a wide variety of technologies from highintensitydischarge lamps to arc-based materials deposition.Direct thermal-to-electrical energy conversion can be used to convert solar, nuclear, and waste heatto electricity, and energy conversion technologies will play an important role in creating a moreenergy efficient and independent nation. The discoveries made by this research will lay thefoundation for practical, terrestrial TEC devices that could become an essential part of the energyeconomy, greatly impacting energy security in the United States. Further, undergraduate studentsfrom underrepresented minorities will be engaged in this research early in their careers, creating amore effective undergraduate research experience and increasing the number that achieve graduatescience and engineering degrees. Using a service-learning approach, outreach to the local K-8 youthin the community will be led by these undergraduates including the creation of a plasma exhibit for acommunity-wide science festival and a targeted, interactive outreach program on environmentalscience for middle school students. These undergraduate students will be exposed to the fulfillingnature of outreach and also inspire a large number of K-8 youth toward science and engineering,creating a perpetuating educational cycle in which each generation fosters the inspiration,excitement, and development of the next generation.