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Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric...
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Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanoelectronics, Nanosensors and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 27208

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lazaros Tzounis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical Engineering Department, Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), Estavromenos, GR-71004 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Interests: thermoelectrics; thermoelectric generators (TEGs); organic and printed electronics; nanomaterials and nanocomposites; additive manufacturing; advanced fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites; hierarchical composites
Dr. Marco Liebscher

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Affiliation: Technische Universitat Dresden, Institute of Construction Materials, Dresden, Germany
Interests: thermoelectric materials; cementitious and alternative building materials; nanomaterials; nanocomposites; carbon allotropes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thermoelectric materials and thermoelectric generators (TEG) have a huge impact on the decarbonization of our societies due to their ability to harvest thermal energy and convert it to electricity. This effect was coined in 1822 as the “Seebeck effect”. More than 60% of global energy is lost as waste heat in the environment, making it impractical to utilize. Thermoelectric materials can recover significant amounts of this lost energy.

This Special Issue intends to summarize the last year’s developments towards highly efficient thermoelectric materials and TEG devices with high thermoelectric figures of merit (ZT), as well as to explore and distribute new concepts, such as ionic thermoelectrics, photothermoelectrics, techniques for device fabrication, advanced modelling, characterization and applications. Full papers, communications, and reviews are invited. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Synthesis and characterization of novel inorganic (nano-)crystals as high performance thermoelectrics;
  • Fabrication techniques for highly efficient thermoelectric generator (TEG) devices;
  • Conjugated polymer and organic thermoelectrics: synthesis, doping strategies and advanced characterization;
  • Thermoelectric nanocomposites (organic and inorganic);
  • Thermoelectric carbon nanomaterials (CNTs, graphene, fullerene, etc.);
  • 2D inorganic and organic thermoelectric materials;
  • Nanostructured thermoelectric materials and nanostructuration techniques;
  • Organic/ inorganic hybrid thermoelectrics;
  • Printed and flexible thermoelectric generators (f-TEGs): Focus on sheet-to-sheet (S2S) and roll-to-roll (R2R) printing technologies;
  • 3D printed thermoelectrics and TEG devices;
  • Electrochemical thermoelectrics and thermoelectrochemical cells;
  • Seebeck effect in ionic conductive materials: solid and liquid state electrolytes;
  • Photothermoelectric materials and devices for solar induced heat generation and conversion to electrical energy;
  • Cementitious nanocomposite as thermoelectric materials;
  • Structural thermoelectric materials ;
  • Modeling of thermoelectric materials and TEG devices: DFT, optoelectronic and multi-scale modeling;
  • Applications of thermoelectric materials and devices for thermal energy harvesting, temperature sensing, cooling, etc.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lazaros Tzounis
Dr. Marco Liebscher
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • novel thermoelectric materials
  • nanostructuring
  • inorganic thermoelectrics
  • organic thermoelectrics
  • hybrid organic/ inorganic thermoelectrics
  • thermoelectric nanocomposites
  • carbon nanoallotrope thermoelectrics
  • cementitious nanocomposite
  • ionic thermoelectrics
  • photothermoelectric materials and devices
  • interface engineering
  • thermoelectric generators (TEGs)
  • printed thermoelectric generators (TEGs)
  • flexible thermoelectric generators (f-TEGs)
  • wearable TEGs
  • advanced characterization techniques
  • modeling
  • applications

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4748 KiB  
Article
Polyethylene Glycol as Additive to Achieve N-Conductive Melt-Mixed Polymer/Carbon Nanotube Composites for Thermoelectric Application
by Beate Krause and Petra Pötschke
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(21), 3812; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12213812 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1979
Abstract
The development of thermoelectric (TE) materials based on thermoplastic polymers and carbon nanotubes is a focus of current TE research activities. For a TE module, both p- and n-conductive composites are required, whereby the production of n-conductive materials is a particular challenge. The [...] Read more.
The development of thermoelectric (TE) materials based on thermoplastic polymers and carbon nanotubes is a focus of current TE research activities. For a TE module, both p- and n-conductive composites are required, whereby the production of n-conductive materials is a particular challenge. The present study investigates whether adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) as n-dopant during the melt-mixing of the conductive composites based on polycarbonate, poly(ether ether ketone), or poly(butylene terephthalate) with singlewalled carbon nanotubes (0.5 to 2 wt%) is a possible solution. It was shown that for all three polymer types, a change in the sign of the Seebeck coefficient from positive to negative could be achieved when at least 1.5 wt% PEG was added. The most negative Seebeck coefficients were determined to be −30.1 µV/K (PC), −44.1 µV/K (PEEK), and −14.5 µV/K (PBT). The maximal power factors ranged between 0.0078 µW/m·K2 (PC), 0.035 µW/m·K2 (PEEK), and 0.0051 µW/m·K2 (PBT). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices)
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11 pages, 23613 KiB  
Article
New Fabrication Method of Silicon Sub-Micron Beams with Monolithic Contacts for Thermoelectric Transport Properties Analysis
by Andrej Stranz, Marc Salleras and Luis Fonseca
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(8), 1326; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12081326 - 12 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1889
Abstract
Micromachined devices were developed and fabricated using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)/micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology allowing for the analysis of transport properties of silicon sub-micron beams having monolithic contacts. The beams were fabricated by a combination of deep reactive ion etching (RIE) and potassium hydroxide [...] Read more.
Micromachined devices were developed and fabricated using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)/micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology allowing for the analysis of transport properties of silicon sub-micron beams having monolithic contacts. The beams were fabricated by a combination of deep reactive ion etching (RIE) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) etching techniques on standard p and n silicon bulk and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. Simultaneous fabrication of many devices on one wafer allows for the extraction of statistical information to properly compare the different layers and contacts. Fabricated devices are presented, underlining the feasibility of the proposed microdevice. The methods used to manipulate the geometry and the surface roughness of the single crystalline silicon beams are described. The presented measurement device offers the possibility to determine simultaneously all the main transport values, thermal, and electrical conductivities as well as the Seebeck coefficient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices)
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10 pages, 7503 KiB  
Article
Nickel-Fullerene Nanocomposites as Thermoelectric Materials
by Andriy Nadtochiy, Viktor Kozachenko, Oleg Korotchenkov and Viktor Schlosser
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(7), 1163; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12071163 - 31 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1655
Abstract
Nickel films with nanovoids filled with fullerene molecules have been fabricated. The thermoelectric properties of the nanocomposites have been measured from room temperature down to about 30 K. The main idea is that the phonon scattering can be enhanced at the C60 [...] Read more.
Nickel films with nanovoids filled with fullerene molecules have been fabricated. The thermoelectric properties of the nanocomposites have been measured from room temperature down to about 30 K. The main idea is that the phonon scattering can be enhanced at the C60/matrix heterointerface. The distribution of atoms within the Ni and Ni-C60 layers has been characterized by Auger depth profiling. The morphology of the grown samples has been checked using cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity have been addressed employing an automatic home-built measuring system. It has been found that nanostructuring using Ar+ ion treatment increases the thermopower magnitude over the entire temperature range. Incorporating C60 into the resulting voids further increased the thermopower magnitude below ≈200 K. A maximum increase in the Seebeck coefficient has been measured up to four times in different fabricated samples. This effect is attributed to enhanced scattering of charge carriers and phonons at the Ni/C60 boundary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices)
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25 pages, 6561 KiB  
Article
Blend Structure and n-Type Thermoelectric Performance of PA6/SAN and PA6/PMMA Blends Filled with Singlewalled Carbon Nanotubes
by Beate Krause, Alice Liguoro and Petra Pötschke
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1146; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051146 - 28 Apr 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2596
Abstract
The present study investigates how the formation of melt-mixed immiscible blends based on PA6/SAN and PA6/PMMA filled with single walled nanotubes (SWCNTs) affects the thermoelectric (TE) properties. In addition to the detailed investigation of the blend morphology with compositions between 100/0 wt.% and [...] Read more.
The present study investigates how the formation of melt-mixed immiscible blends based on PA6/SAN and PA6/PMMA filled with single walled nanotubes (SWCNTs) affects the thermoelectric (TE) properties. In addition to the detailed investigation of the blend morphology with compositions between 100/0 wt.% and 50/50 wt.%, the thermoelectric properties are investigated on blends with different SWCNT concentrations (0.25–3.0 wt.%). Both PA6 and the blend composites with the used type of SWCNTs showed negative Seebeck coefficients. It was shown that the PA6 matrix polymer, in which the SWCNTs are localized, mainly influenced the thermoelectric properties of blends with high SWCNT contents. By varying the blend composition, an increase in the absolute Seebeck coefficient, power factor (PF), and figure of merit (ZT) was achieved compared to the PA6 composite which is mainly related to the selective localization and enrichment of SWCNTs in the PA6 matrix at constant SWCNT loading. The maximum PFs achieved were 0.22 µW/m·K2 for PA6/SAN/SWCNT 70/30/3 wt.% and 0.13 µW/m·K2 for PA6/PMMA/SWCNT 60/40/3 wt.% compared to 0.09 µW/m·K2 for PA6/3 wt.% SWCNT which represent increases to 244% and 144%, respectively. At higher PMMA or SAN concentration, the change from matrix-droplet to a co-continuous morphology started, which, despite higher SWCNT enrichment in the PA6 matrix, disturbed the electrical conductivity, resulting in reduced PFs with still increasing Seebeck coefficients. At SWCNT contents between 0.5 and 3 wt.% the increase in the absolute Seebeck coefficient was compensated by lower electrical conductivity resulting in lower PF and ZT as compared to the PA6 composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices)
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15 pages, 7353 KiB  
Article
Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting from Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Alkali-Activated Nanocomposites Produced from Industrial Waste Materials
by Maliheh Davoodabadi, Ioanna Vareli, Marco Liebscher, Lazaros Tzounis, Massimo Sgarzi, Alkiviadis S. Paipetis, Jian Yang, Gianaurelio Cuniberti and Viktor Mechtcherine
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1095; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051095 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4045
Abstract
A waste-originated one-part alkali-activated nanocomposite is introduced herein as a novel thermoelectric material. For this purpose, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were utilized as nanoinclusions to create an electrically conductive network within the investigated alkali-activated construction material. Thermoelectric and microstructure characteristics of SWCNT-alkali-activated nanocomposites [...] Read more.
A waste-originated one-part alkali-activated nanocomposite is introduced herein as a novel thermoelectric material. For this purpose, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were utilized as nanoinclusions to create an electrically conductive network within the investigated alkali-activated construction material. Thermoelectric and microstructure characteristics of SWCNT-alkali-activated nanocomposites were assessed after 28 days. Nanocomposites with 1.0 wt.% SWCNTs exhibited a multifunctional behavior, a combination of structural load-bearing, electrical conductivity, and thermoelectric response. These nanocomposites (1.0 wt.%) achieved the highest thermoelectric performance in terms of power factor (PF), compared to the lower SWCNTs’ incorporations, namely 0.1 and 0.5 wt.%. The measured electrical conductivity (σ) and Seebeck coefficient (S) were 1660 S·m−1 and 15.8 µV·K−1, respectively, which led to a power factor of 0.414 μW·m−1·K−2. Consequently, they have been utilized as the building block of a thermoelectric generator (TEG) device, which demonstrated a maximum power output (Pout) of 0.695 µW, with a power density (PD) of 372 nW·m−2, upon exposure to a temperature gradient of 60 K. The presented SWCNT-alkali-activated nanocomposites could establish the pathway towards waste thermal energy harvesting and future sustainable civil engineering structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices)
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11 pages, 16739 KiB  
Article
Transitioning from Si to SiGe Nanowires as Thermoelectric Material in Silicon-Based Microgenerators
by Luis Fonseca, Inci Donmez-Noyan, Marc Dolcet, Denise Estrada-Wiese, Joaquin Santander, Marc Salleras, Gerard Gadea, Mercè Pacios, Jose-Manuel Sojo, Alex Morata and Albert Tarancon
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(2), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11020517 - 18 Feb 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3282
Abstract
The thermoelectric performance of nanostructured low dimensional silicon and silicon-germanium has been functionally compared device-wise. The arrays of nanowires of both materials, grown by a VLS-CVD (Vapor-Liquid-Solid Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, have been monolithically integrated in a silicon micromachined structure in order to [...] Read more.
The thermoelectric performance of nanostructured low dimensional silicon and silicon-germanium has been functionally compared device-wise. The arrays of nanowires of both materials, grown by a VLS-CVD (Vapor-Liquid-Solid Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, have been monolithically integrated in a silicon micromachined structure in order to exploit the improved thermoelectric properties of nanostructured silicon-based materials. The device architecture helps to translate a vertically occurring temperature gradient into a lateral temperature difference across the nanowires. Such thermocouple is completed with a thin film metal leg in a unileg configuration. The device is operative on its own and can be largely replicated (and interconnected) using standard IC (Integrated Circuits) and MEMS (Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems) technologies. Despite SiGe nanowires devices show a lower Seebeck coefficient and a higher electrical resistance, they exhibit a much better performance leading to larger open circuit voltages and a larger overall power supply. This is possible due to the lower thermal conductance of the nanostructured SiGe ensemble that enables a much larger internal temperature difference for the same external thermal gradient. Indeed, power densities in the μW/cm2 could be obtained for such devices when resting on hot surfaces in the 50–200 °C range under natural convection even without the presence of a heat exchanger. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices)
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Review

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13 pages, 420 KiB  
Review
New and Recent Results for Thermoelectric Energy Conversion in Graded Alloys at Nanoscale
by Vito Antonio Cimmelli and Patrizia Rogolino
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(14), 2378; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12142378 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1122
Abstract
In this article, we review the main features of nonlocal and nonlinear heat transport in nanosystems and analyze some celebrated differential equations which describe this phenomenon. Then, we present a new heat-transport equation arising within the so-called thermomass theory of heat conduction. We [...] Read more.
In this article, we review the main features of nonlocal and nonlinear heat transport in nanosystems and analyze some celebrated differential equations which describe this phenomenon. Then, we present a new heat-transport equation arising within the so-called thermomass theory of heat conduction. We illustrate how such a theory can be applied to the analysis of the efficiency of a thermoelectric energy generator constituted by a Silicon–Germanium alloy, as the application and new results for a nanowire of length L=100 nm, are presented as well. The thermal conductivity of the nanowire as a function of composition and temperature is determined in light of the experimental data. Additionally, the best-fit curve is obtained. The dependency of the thermoelectric efficiency of the system on both the composition and the difference of temperature applied to its ends is investigated. For the temperatures T=300 K, T=400 K, and T=500 K, we calculate the values of the composition corresponding to the optimal efficiency, as well as the optimal values of the thermal conductivity. Finally, these new results are compared with recent ones obtained for a system of length L=3 mm, in order to point out the benefits due to the miniaturization in thermoelectric energy conversion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices)
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23 pages, 5186 KiB  
Review
Synthesis and Performance of Large-Scale Cost-Effective Environment-Friendly Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials
by Farheen F. Jaldurgam, Zubair Ahmad and Farid Touati
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1091; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051091 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4535
Abstract
Thermoelectricity is a promising technology that directly converts heat energy into electricity and finds its use in enormous applications. This technology can be used for waste heat recovery from automobile exhausts and industrial sectors and convert the heat from solar energy, especially in [...] Read more.
Thermoelectricity is a promising technology that directly converts heat energy into electricity and finds its use in enormous applications. This technology can be used for waste heat recovery from automobile exhausts and industrial sectors and convert the heat from solar energy, especially in hot and humid areas such as Qatar. The large-scale, cost-effective commercialization of thermoelectric generators requires the processing and fabrication of nanostructured materials with quick, easy, and inexpensive techniques. Moreover, the methods should be replicable and reproducible, along with stability in terms of electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the TE material. This report summarizes and compares the up-to-date technologies available for batch production of the earth-abundant and ecofriendly materials along with some notorious works in this domain. We have also evaluated and assessed the pros and cons of each technique and its effect on the properties of the materials. The simplicity, time, and cost of each synthesis technique have also been discussed and compared with the conventional methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices)
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25 pages, 5112 KiB  
Review
Low-Toxic, Earth-Abundant Nanostructured Materials for Thermoelectric Applications
by Farheen F. Jaldurgam, Zubair Ahmad and Farid Touati
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(4), 895; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11040895 - 31 Mar 2021
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 4382
Abstract
This article presents recent research directions in the study of Earth-abundant, cost-effective, and low-toxic advanced nanostructured materials for thermoelectric generator (TEG) applications. This study’s critical aspect is to systematically evaluate the development of high-performance nanostructured thermoelectric (TE) materials from sustainable sources, which are [...] Read more.
This article presents recent research directions in the study of Earth-abundant, cost-effective, and low-toxic advanced nanostructured materials for thermoelectric generator (TEG) applications. This study’s critical aspect is to systematically evaluate the development of high-performance nanostructured thermoelectric (TE) materials from sustainable sources, which are expected to have a meaningful and enduring impact in developing a cost-effective TE system. We review both the performance and limitation aspects of these materials at multiple temperatures from experimental and theoretical viewpoints. Recent developments in these materials towards enhancing the dimensionless figure of merit, Seebeck coefficient, reduction of the thermal conductivity, and improvement of electrical conductivity have also been discussed in detail. Finally, the future direction and the prospects of these nanostructured materials have been proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Thermoelectric Nanomaterials, Nanocomposites and Advanced Fabrication Techniques for Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) Devices)
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