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.
