2023 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Nanoengineered nanochannels for energy harvesting of low-grade waste heat
| Project/Area Number |
20K15147
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Tohoku University |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
グエン・ヴァン トゥアン 東北大学, 工学研究科, 准教授 (30795117)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
|
| Keywords | Energy conversion / Thermoelectric materials / Nanofluidic transport / Anodized aluminum oxide |
|---|
| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This work demonstrates thermal-to-electric energy conversion based on ionic nanofluidic transport in nanochannels inducted by a temperature gradient. Two types of highly periodic and high aspect ratio nanochannels have been fabricated in a silicon (Si) substrate and in an aluminium oxide (Al2O3) membrane. Silicon nanochannels with diameter of 100 nm and height of 300 μm have been produced by metal-assisted chemical etching process (MACE), while nanochannels with the dimensions of the 10 nm and 3 μm respectively, were fabricated in a Al2O3 membrane by the anodic aluminum oxidation (AAO) process. Moreover, a novel approach of thermally nanofluidic energy harvesting was proposed and conducted. The performance of the thermally ionic nanofluidic energy harvesting system in cases with and without nanochannels has been evaluated and compared. The advantage of the presence nanochannels on energy conversion has been confirmed. The electrolyte concentration dependence on the output power has been determined. The ionic Seebeck coefficient was enhanced by 7.3 times when the nanochannels were present. The silicon substrate with nanochannels demonstrated the highest performance for energy harvesting. Its power density reaches approximately 1.47 mW/m2, which was 13.3 times larger than the case without nanochannels. This investigation may open new opportunities for the future thermoelectric generators based on ionic transport in nanochannels.
|
