scholarly journals Recent Progress in Thermoelectric Materials Based on Conjugated Polymers

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Jiang Yao ◽  
Hao-Li Zhang ◽  
Qichun Zhang

Organic thermoelectric (TE) materials can directly convert heat to electricity, and they are emerging as new materials for energy harvesting and cooling technologies. The performance of TE materials mainly depends on the properties of materials, including the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability. Traditional TE materials are mostly based on low-bandgap inorganic compounds, such as bismuth chalcogenide, lead telluride, and tin selenide, while organic materials as promising TE materials are attracting more and more attention because of their intrinsic advantages, including cost-effectiveness, easy processing, low density, low thermal conductivity, and high flexibility. However, to meet the requirements of practical applications, the performance of organic TE materials needs much improvement. A variety of efforts have been made to enhance the performance of organic TE materials, including the modification of molecular structure, and chemical or electrochemical doping. In this review, we summarize recent progress in organic TE materials, and discuss the feasible strategies for enhancing the properties of organic TE materials for future energy-harvesting applications.

2021 ◽  
pp. 095400832110003
Author(s):  
Ruiyi Li ◽  
Chengcheng Ding ◽  
Juan Yu ◽  
Xiaodong Wang ◽  
Pei Huang

In this article, the polyimide (PI) composite films with synergistically improving thermal conductivity were prepared by adding a few graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and various hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) contents into the PI matrix. The thermal conductivity of PI composite film with 1 wt% GNP and 30 wt% h-BN content was 1.21 W(m·k)− 1, which was higher than that of the PI composite film with 30 wt% h-BN content (0.45 W(m·k)− 1), the synergistic efficiency of GNP under various h-BN content (10 wt%, 20 wt%, and 30 wt%) were 1.70, 2.71, and 3.09, respectively. And it was found that the increased h-BN content can suppress the dielectric properties caused by GNP in the matrix. The dielectric permittivity and dielectric loss tangent of 1 wt% GNP/PI composite film were 10.69, 0.661 at 103 Hz, respectively, and that of the 30 wt% h-BN + GNP/PI composite film were 4.29 and 0.1367, respectively. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the PI composite film were suitable for practical applications. And the heat resistance index and the residual rate at 700°C of PI composite film increased to 326.8°C, 74.43%, respectively, and these of PI film were 292.6°C and 59.26%. Thus, it may provide a reference value for applying the filler hybridization/PI film in the electronic packaging materials.


Author(s):  
Chongjian Zhou ◽  
Yong Kyu Lee ◽  
Yuan Yu ◽  
Sejin Byun ◽  
Zhong-Zhen Luo ◽  
...  

AbstractThermoelectric materials generate electric energy from waste heat, with conversion efficiency governed by the dimensionless figure of merit, ZT. Single-crystal tin selenide (SnSe) was discovered to exhibit a high ZT of roughly 2.2–2.6 at 913 K, but more practical and deployable polycrystal versions of the same compound suffer from much poorer overall ZT, thereby thwarting prospects for cost-effective lead-free thermoelectrics. The poor polycrystal bulk performance is attributed to traces of tin oxides covering the surface of SnSe powders, which increases thermal conductivity, reduces electrical conductivity and thereby reduces ZT. Here, we report that hole-doped SnSe polycrystalline samples with reagents carefully purified and tin oxides removed exhibit an ZT of roughly 3.1 at 783 K. Its lattice thermal conductivity is ultralow at roughly 0.07 W m–1 K–1 at 783 K, lower than the single crystals. The path to ultrahigh thermoelectric performance in polycrystalline samples is the proper removal of the deleterious thermally conductive oxides from the surface of SnSe grains. These results could open an era of high-performance practical thermoelectrics from this high-performance material.


2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (38) ◽  
pp. 20360-20376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Jiang ◽  
Han-Xuan Zhang ◽  
Shouzhong Zou ◽  
Wen-Bin Cai

A brief overview is presented on recent progress in mechanistic studies of formic acid oxidation, synthesis of novel Pd- and Pt-based nanocatalysts and their practical applications in direct formic acid fuel cells.


Author(s):  
Ni Luo ◽  
Jing Xu ◽  
Xiyue Cheng ◽  
ZhenHua Li ◽  
Yidong Huang ◽  
...  

The good thermal stability of a phosphor is crucial for its practical applications. Unfortunately, in the past decades, only Gurney-Mott equation was available to describe the relation between the luminescence...


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 968-985
Author(s):  
CONNOR EDLUND ◽  
SUBRAMANIAN RAMAKRISHNAN

This work investigates analytically, the use of piezoelectric tiles placed on stairways for vibrational energy harvesting – harnessing electrical power from natural vibrational phenomena – from pedestrian footfalls. While energy harvesting from pedestrian traffic along flat pathways has been studied in the linear regime and realised in practical applications, the greater amounts of energy naturally expended in traversing stairways suggest better prospects for harvesting. Considering the characteristics of two types of commercially available piezoelectric tiles – Navy Type III and Navy Type V – analytical models for the coupled electromechanical system are formulated. The harvesting potential of the tiles is then studied under conditions of both deterministic and carefully developed random excitation profiles for three distinct cases: linear, monostable nonlinear and an array of monostable nonlinear tiles on adjacent steps with linear coupling between them. The results indicate enhanced power output when the tiles are: (1) placed on stairways, (2) uncoupled and (3) subjected to excitation profiles with stochastic frequency. In addition, the Navy Type V tiles are seen to outperform the Navy Type III tiles. Finally, the strongly nonlinear regime outperforms the linear one suggesting that the realisation of commercially available piezoelectric tiles with appropriately tailored nonlinear characteristics will likely have a significant impact on energy harvesting from pedestrian traffic.


Author(s):  
Agnieszka Greszta ◽  
Sylwia Krzemińska ◽  
Grażyna Bartkowiak ◽  
Anna Dąbrowska

Abstract Aerogels are ultra-light solids with extremely low thermal conductivity (even lower than air), thanks to which they have a huge potential in a wide range of applications. The purpose of this publication is to present the state-of-the art knowledge of the possibility of using aerogels to increase the thermal insulation properties of clothing materials intended for use in both cold and hot environments. Various methods of aerogels application to textile materials (non-woven, woven and knitted fabrics) are discussed, indicating their advantages and limitations. Numerous research studies confirm that aerogels significantly improve the thermal insulation properties of materials, but due to their delicate and brittle structure and their tendency to dusting, their application still poses considerable problems.


Nano Energy ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 106938
Author(s):  
Di Li ◽  
Chun Wang ◽  
Xinhui Cui ◽  
Dongdong Chen ◽  
Chunlong Fei ◽  
...  

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