PECASE: Thermogalvanic Energy Conversion with Hybrid Nanostructures

1055479可乐这个职业项目将开发混合纳米结构，以设计固态热电偶电池中的热和电荷传输。热电偶电池在制冷、传感和将废热能转化为电能等应用中具有吸引力，但低效率和昂贵的材料限制了它们的使用。杂化纳米结构有可能通过促进电子传输和减少电极之间的热损失来提高热电偶电池的能量转换效率，但这种潜力在很大程度上仍未被开发。这个项目将利用合成、实验和理论来寻求对热电偶电池中使用的混合纳米结构中的热和电传输的理解。该项目的长期目标是实现和推进热电偶电池的商业化，以创造就业机会并提高全球能源利用效率。智能优点：离子导电聚合物将与由电子导电聚合物和纳米氧化还原金属组成的杂化纳米结构相结合，形成一种新型的固态热电偶电池，通过质量扩散将电荷传输降至最低。纳米尺度的氧化还原反应在杂化导电聚合物和相关界面上的热和电传输中的作用将用同时的热和电分析表征来系统地研究。通过将测量和理论相结合来解释掺杂导电聚合物中当掺杂剂具有电活性时出现的热输运现象，将加深对杂化纳米结构中热传导的理解。更广泛的影响：将首次研究具有混合纳米结构的热电偶能量转换，并可能导致创建一个新的研究领域。该项目的成功可以使固态制冷和热能收集具有成本效益的技术，为更有效地利用能源提供新的手段。新的发现将通过专利、技术出版物以及PI研究所新联合列出的纳米工程能源技术研究生和本科生课程进行传播。此外，通过联合合作和技术交流，学生将接触到广泛的技术和文化体验。教育倡议的一个关键方面是通过建立和保持与德卡尔布县学校系统的密切联系来扩大PI的能源探索者计划，DeKalb县学校系统是一个少数族裔、低收入公立学校系统。与佐治亚理工学院的科学、数学和计算整合教育中心(CEISMC)合作，Energy Explorers在夏季将高中生和教师团队聚集在一起，在PI的实验室探索艺术和能源研究的创造性交叉。与德卡尔布县科学和艺术教师密切合作，PI的努力将包括与能源相关的课程开发和实践科学活动。

1055479Cola This CAREER project will develop hybrid nanostructures to engineer heat and charge transport in solid-state thermogalvanic cells. Thermogalvanic cells are attractive for applications such as refrigeration, sensing, and converting waste thermal energy to electricity, yet low efficiencies and costly materials have limited their use. Hybrid nanostructures have the potential to enhance the efficiency of energy conversion with thermogalvanic cells by facilitating electron transport and reducing heat loss between electrodes, but this potential remains largely unexplored. This project will use synthesis, experiments, and theory to seek understanding of thermal and electrical transport in hybrid nanostructures used in thermogalvanic cells. The long-term goal of this project is to enable and advance the commercialization of thermogalvanic cells to create jobs and improve the efficiency of global energy use.Intellectual Merit: Ion conducting polymer will be combined with hybrid nanostructures comprised of electron conducting polymers and nanoscale redox metals to form a new type of solid-state thermogalvanic cell where charge transport by mass diffusion is minimized. The role of nanoscale redox reactions on thermal and electrical transport in hybrid conducting polymers and across pertinent interfaces will be investigated systematically using simultaneous thermal and electroanalytical characterization. An improved understanding of heat conduction in hybrid nanostructures will be developed by combining measurements and theory to explain thermal transport phenomena that arise in doped conducting polymers when the doping agents are electroactive. Broader Impacts: Thermogalvanic energy conversion with hybrid nanostructures will be studied for the first time and may lead to the creation of a new research area. The success of this project could enable cost-effective technologies for solid-state refrigeration and thermal energy harvesting, providing new means for more efficient energy use. New discoveries will be disseminated through patents, technical publications, and a new co-listed graduate and undergraduate course on nanoengineered energy technologies at the PI's institute. In addition, students will be exposed to a broad set of technical and cultural experiences through joint collaborations and technical exchanges. A critical aspect of the educational initiative is to expand the PI's Energy Explorers Program by building and maintaining close ties with the DeKalb County School System, a high-minority, low-income public school system. In partnership with Georgia Institute of Technology's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), Energy Explorers brings together teams of high school students and teachers in the summer to explore the creative intersection of art and energy research in the PI's lab. Working closely with DeKalb County science and art teachers, the PI's efforts will include energy-related curriculum development with hands-on scientific activities.