Recycling energy from
heat
Development of new methods of energy generation for meeting the growing energy needs of our society is an active area of research in the energy conversion and storage field. A relatively unexplored method of energy generation is the conversion of low-grade heat into electricity. Thermoelectric devices based on the Seebeck effect (the generation of electrical current when a temperature gradient is applied to dissimilar semiconductor materials) have been explored for this application, but thermoelectrics are expensive and time consuming to manufacture. Carbon materials are abundant and easily processed to have properties tailored to specific applications. Using carbon for such energy conversion devices could make them more suitable for use in electricity generation. Carbon can be casted into films that can generate current via the electrokinetic (EK) effect. The EK effect is created by the flow of polar solvent molecules through a material which causes electrical charges in the material to move with the solvent. This flow of charge induces a streaming potential which can be used for useful work. The EK effect is driven by the transport and evaporation of the solvent from the material, this effect can be enhanced using a temperature gradient, similar to the Seebeck effect. This project aims at optimizing porous carbon films to make them suitable for energy generation. Various compositions for the films were tested in order to achieve an optimized device.
Development of new methods of energy generation for meeting the growing energy needs of our society is an active area of research in the energy conversion and storage field. A relatively unexplored method of energy generation is the conversion of low-grade heat into electricity. Thermoelectric devices based on the Seebeck effect (the generation of electrical current when a temperature gradient is applied to dissimilar semiconductor materials) have been explored for this application, but thermoelectrics are expensive and time consuming to manufacture. Carbon materials are abundant and easily processed to have properties tailored to specific applications. Using carbon for such energy conversion devices could make them more suitable for use in electricity generation. Carbon can be casted into films that can generate current via the electrokinetic (EK) effect. The EK effect is created by the flow of polar solvent molecules through a material which causes electrical charges in the material to move with the solvent. This flow of charge induces a streaming potential which can be used for useful work. The EK effect is driven by the transport and evaporation of the solvent from the material, this effect can be enhanced using a temperature gradient, similar to the Seebeck effect. This project aims at optimizing porous carbon films to make them suitable for energy generation. Various compositions for the films were tested in order to achieve an optimized device.