3D Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials

世界能源消耗已经达到16太瓦，预计到2050年将增长两倍。为了满足这一巨大需求以及对气候变化的巨大担忧，现在迫切需要开发更清洁的可再生能源。热电（TE）材料是一种可以直接将废热转化为电能的系统。它有潜力为英国政府清洁增长战略中强调的低碳发电的发展做出重大贡献。为了实现这一目标，一个关键的挑战是提高TE材料的效率和降低制造成本。这项努力的成功将导致在发电和热电技术的有效冷却方面的广泛应用，超出目前的利基市场（例如：太空发电和冷却激光二极管或红外探测器）。该项目旨在开发一种新型的3D热电超材料，这种材料在100纳米尺度上具有控制纳米结构的特征，允许对电子和声子特性进行前所未有的控制，并为理解纳米尺度拓扑的影响提供高度控制的途径。该项目涉及使用双光子光刻技术制造新型3D纳米结构热电材料。制造的样品将接受标准的物理表征，如扫描电子显微镜和原子力显微镜。此外，3D TE样品的电子和热性能将使用纳米级扫描探针测量和体输运测量来测量。该学生还将受益于与埃克塞特大学理论家的互动。最终，该项目将开发出一种性能有阶梯式变化的新型TE设备。

The world's energy consumption is reaching 16 terawatts and is predicted to triple by 2050.Meeting this huge demand along with great concerns over climate change has now led to an urgency for the development of cleaner and renewable energy sources. Thermoelectric (TE) materials are systems that can directly convert thermal waste heat into electrical energy. It has potential to make significant contribution to the development of low carbon power generation highlighted in the Clean Growth Strategy of the UK Government. In order to achieve this goal, a key challenge is to improve the efficiency of TE materials and reduce manufacture cost. The success in this endeavour will lead to wide scale applications in power generation and efficient cooling of thermoelectric technology beyond the current niche markets (example: spacepower generation and cooling laser diodes or infrared detectors). This project seeks to develop a new breed of 3D thermoelectric metamaterials that have controlled nanostructured features upon the 100 nm scale, allowing unprecedented control over electronic and phononic properties and offering a highly controlled pathway for understanding the effect of nanoscale topology. The project involves the manufacture of novel 3D nanostructured thermoelectric materials using two-photon lithography. The fabricated samples will be subject to standard physical characterisation such as scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Furthermore, the electronic and thermal properties of 3D TE samples will be measured using both nanoscale scanning probe measurements and bulk transport measurements. The student will also benefit from interactions with theorists at Exeter University. Ultimately, the project will develop a new breed of TE devices with a step change in performance.