SBIR Phase I: Validation of Ambient Thermal Electric Converter

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响将是在不破坏环境的情况下获得低成本能源。这项技术可能被证明是可行的，以远低于太阳能和风能的成本生产能源，这两种能源目前是全球最低的发电方式。由于减少了对传统能源生产方法的需求，这将降低二氧化碳和其他污染物的排放量。用于移动通信和其他电子设备的寿命更长的电池、远程能源生产和用于低成本海水淡化的电力是拟议技术的最佳使用案例。拟议的项目将研究铝-镓-砷化物(AlGaAs)的概念验证测试结果，该测试显示使用环境热产生的能量很低，并将该理论应用于汞镉碲(HgCdTe)装置的原型。进一步的测试结果将与建模结果进行比较，以验证该设备在低成本能源生产方面的商业可行性。第一步是复制和扩展最近的一项测量，该测量表明，处于平衡状态的半导体载流子的温度可能高于晶格温度。这间接验证了作为热电转换装置理论基础的杨氏输运模型。第二步是制作一个商业规模的热电转换装置的原型。这个项目应该更清楚地证明，在半导体设备中将环境热能直接转换为电能是可能的。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be the availability of low-cost energy without environmental damage. This technology could prove to be viable for energy production at costs well below those of even solar and wind energy, which are globally now the lowest ways to produce electricity. This will drive down CO2 emissions and other pollutants due to the reduce need for conventional energy production methods. Longer life batteries for mobile communications and other electronic devices, remote energy production and power for low cost water desalination are among the best use cases for the proposed technology. The proposed project will study the results of proof-of-concept testing on Aluminum-Gallium-Arsenide (AlGaAs) which shows low level energy production using ambient heat and apply that theory to a prototype Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride (HgCdTe) device. Results of further testing will be compared to modeling results to validate commercial viability of the device for low cost energy production. The first step is to replicate and expand on a recent measurement showing that semiconductor carriers at equilibrium can have temperatures higher than the lattice temperature. This indirectly validates the Yang transport model used as the theoretical basis for the heat-to-electricity device. The second step is to fabricate a prototype commercial scale heat-to-electricity conversion device. This project should demonstrate more clearly that direct conversion of ambient heat to electricity in semiconductor devices is possible.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.