STTR Phase I: Energy Harvesting Systems with Ultra High Energy and Power Densities from Ocean Waves and Currents for Green Energy Generation

这个小企业技术转让第一阶段项目建议开发一个从海浪和洋流中收集能量的系统，利用离子纳米复合材料开发的最新进展所实现的高能量密度和高应变密度。随着对清洁和可再生能源需求的不断增长，能源行业和公众对这一主题感兴趣。世界上广阔的海洋表面蕴藏着巨大的绿色能源潜力。 然而，目前所有能量收集方法的低能量密度和功率密度对将这种有前途的技术用于实际应用施加了严重的限制。 基于固态能量收集材料的当前能量收集方法中的一个基本问题是这些材料以及基于它们的装置的低电能密度。该项目将通过利用聚合物纳米复合材料的高能量和功率密度来应对这些挑战。与目前基于在海浪中使用固态电活性材料的能量收集方法相比，所提出的方法有可能实现能量密度和功率密度的两个数量级以上的改进。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是丰富的、低成本的和环境友好的能量的可用性，因为广阔的海洋表面可以提供不间断的能源供应。该项目如果成功，将对电网规模的电力生产产生影响。开发的技术也可以部署为海上移动的设备供电。 该技术还可以适用于其他基于机械运动的能量收集方法，例如为手持电子产品或无线传感器供电。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project proposes to develop an energy harvesting system from ocean waves and currents utilizing the high energy density and high strain density achieved by recent advances in the development of ionic nano-composites. With the growing need for clean and renewable energy, this topic is of interest to the energy industry and general public. The massive ocean surface of the world holds enormous potential for green energy. However, the low energy density and power density of all the current energy harvesting approaches impose severe limitations on utilizing this promising technology for practical applications. One fundamental issue in current energy harvesting approaches based on solid-state energy harvesting materials is the low electric energy density of these materials, and of devices based on them. This project will address these challenges by utilizing the high energy and power density of polymer nano-composites. The proposed approach has the potential to achieve more than two orders of magnitude improvement in the energy density and power density as compared with the current energy harvesting approaches based on the use of solid state electroactive materials in ocean waves.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be the availability of abundant, low-cost and environmental friendly energy, as the vast ocean surface can provide an uninterrupted supply of energy. This project, if successful, will have implications for grid-scale electricity production. The technology developed can also be deployed to power mobile devices at sea. The technology could also be adapted to other energy harvesting approaches based on mechanical motion; for example as a way to power handheld electronics or wireless sensors.