Collaborative Research: Boron Carbide Nanowires - Structure and Transport Property Relations

非技术描述：热电技术是热能和电能之间的一种直接能量转换技术，对解决当今世界面临的许多能源问题具有重要意义。 在过去的十年中，在创造更好的纳米结构材料以提高热电能量转换效率方面取得了重大进展。 然而，迄今为止，大多数努力都集中在用于制冷应用的低温热电材料上。 高温纳米结构热电材料可以从废热中获取电力，但却没有受到太多的关注。 碳化硼是一类复杂的陶瓷材料，在热电领域有着广阔的应用前景。 碳化硼纳米线对电荷和能量载流子的传输具有期望的限制效应，可以具有比块状碳化硼更好的热电性能。 在该项目中，正在构建不同直径，晶体结构和成分的碳化硼纳米线的基本结构-性能关系，这对于制造用于高性能热电能量转换的最佳性能碳化硼纳米线至关重要。 该项目整合了研究和教育部分，在跨学科环境中培训研究生，并通过展示纳米材料在能源技术中的重要性，将影响扩大到代表性不足的少数民族和K-12学生。本计画旨在建构碳化硼奈米线之结构-输运性质关系，一类复杂的陶瓷纳米线，有望用于高温热电发电。 该方法是将合理的材料合成，在单个纳米结构水平上的输运性质测量，测量样品的彻底结构表征和理论分析相结合，以实现对电荷和能量输运的深入理解。 结构-性能关系是设计和制备具有最佳热电性能的碳化硼纳米线的关键，这对工业余热回收产生重大影响。 该项目解决了一个迄今为止研究很少的领域，即纳米结构高温热电，它有可能利用废热。 该项目的成功实施可以深入了解碳化硼纳米线的输运性质，并创造出一类高性能的热电纳米材料。 该项目在跨学科的环境中培养学生，为当今的前沿多学科研究做好准备。

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Thermoelectrics, a direct energy conversion technology between thermal and electrical energy, could generate significant impact on many energy-related issues the world is facing. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in creating better nanostructured materials to improve the efficiency of thermoelectric energy conversion. However, to date, most efforts have been focused on low temperature thermoelectric materials for refrigeration applications. High temperature nanostructured thermoelectric materials, which could harvest electricity from waste heat, have not received as much attention. Boron carbides, a class of complex ceramic materials, have been projected as promising candidates for thermoelectric applications. Boron carbide nanowires, with desirable confinement effects to the transport of charge and energy carriers, could have even better thermoelectric performance than bulk boron carbides. In this project, the fundamental structure-property relations for boron carbide nanowires of different diameters, crystalline structures, and compositions are being constructed, which is critical for manufacturing the best performance boron carbide nanowires for high performance thermoelectric energy conversion. The project has integrated research and education components to train graduate students in an interdisciplinary environment, and to extend the impact to underrepresented minorities and K-12 students through demonstration of the importance of nanomaterials in energy technology.TECHNICAL DETAILS: This project aims at constructing the structure-transport property relations of boron carbide nanowires, a class of complex ceramic nanowires that is promising for high temperature thermoelectric power generation. The approach is to integrate rational materials synthesis, transport property measurements at individual nanostructure level, thorough structure characterization of measured samples, and theoretical analysis to achieve in-depth understanding of charge and energy transport. The structure-property relation is critical to design and fabricate boron carbide nanowires with the best thermoelectric properties, which could generate significant impact on industrial waste heat recovery. The project tackles an area where little research has focused to date, namely, nanostructured high temperature thermoelectrics, that has the potential to make use of waste heat. Successful implementation of the project can lead to an in-depth understanding of transport properties of boron carbide nanowires, and create a class of high performance thermoelectric nanomaterials. The project trains students in an interdisciplinary environment, which prepare them well for today's cutting-edge multidisciplinary research.