H2ESOT

Waste Heat to Electrical Energy via Sustainable Organic Thermoelectric Devices

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'It is estimated that mankind wastes ~20% of the 15 terawatts required annually for global power consumption as low level heat (<200 oC). This amounts to 10^20 J/yr, which is greater than the total annual energy usage of all EU member states. Widespread availability of new low-cost organic thermoelectric devices would allow direct heat-to-electrical energy (H2E) from this vast, essentially untapped, resource generating a new industrial sector based on local power generation from otherwise wasted energy sources (engines, boilers, heat pumps, etc.) amounting up to 50 billion €/yr. New materials and devices are needed to achieve such disruptive technology as present approaches are not viable for reasons either of: (i) device inefficiency, and/or (ii) global raw material unavailability preventing widespread implementation. The development of efficient, thermoelectric modules using only low-cost, readily available, renewable and sustainable organic materials would address a range of major transnational FET challenges impacting on energy efficiency, climate change, resources depletion and ‘personalised electricity generation/use’ that will arise within the next decade. To achieve this goal the H2ESOT project is pluri-disciplinary and cross-thematic project from leading European groups able to: prepare, purify, fabricate, test and theoretically define/evolve the organic materials that are needed to fulfil this ‘Innovation Europe 2020’ vision. Europe must reach a position where it can begin to make use of a significant fraction of its waste heat in order to overcome the immense societal changes associated with sustainable growth and mitigating climate change. Only organic thermoelectric devices ultimately offer the potential for Thermoelectronic (TE) FET that can be widely deployed to recover low level heat. Only H2ESOT has the optimal blend of expertise to develop an appropriate roadmap to such revolutionary new TE materials defining a critically important new industry.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Global low-grade heat dissipated by devices like engines, boilers, computers and cell phones could supply the entire EU with power. Scientists plan to harness the heat and convert a large portion to electricity, revolutionising the energy sector.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Harvesting waste heat to supply power would address the immense challenges of a secure and sustainable supply of energy that mitigates global climate change. The EU is funding the project 'Waste heat to electrical energy via sustainable organic thermoelectric devices' (http://www.h2esot.com/ (H2ESOT)) to develop the necessary advanced and cost-effective organic thermoelectric materials to make this possible. Validation of the disruptive technology could forever change the sustainability of the energy landscape with a simple and inexpensive solution.

Thermoelectric materials are rated with a dimensionless ZT score of 0 for ineffective, above 1 for commercially interesting and more than 2 for unprecedented at room temperature. H2ESOT is pursuing development of tetracene-based materials, particularly tetrathiotetracene (TTT). Tetracene is a crystalline organic semiconductor. In the form of single crystals, tetracene-based materials could theoretically yield ZTs of 1 to 2.

Team members are now optimising synthesis of large quantities of functionalised tetracene-based materials with excellent electronic and physical properties. In parallel, researchers are working on issues of purification and deposition. The team has produced single crystals of TTT-based materials. New equipment is enabling unprecedented thermoelectric testing of small molecules for rapid screening. Evidence suggests that single crystals have higher conductivities than thin films and so they will be the focus for the remainder of the project.

The Holy Grail for the next 18 months is establishing exquisite control over crystal properties. Theoretical predictions from computational work showed that electrical conductivities rise by more than 10-fold as defects in the crystal decrease. This suggests that even a material with poor ZT could become an exceptional material if the properties of the crystals can be carefully controlled. Building on the already successful production of single crystals, the project is ahead of schedule in terms of device manufacture. Preliminary fabrication of components for the first prototypes is underway and a test rig is being made.

H2ESOT could be a defining point in the history of energy and global climate change. Success will change the energy playing field, creating a new industrial sector based on local power generation from waste heat with inestimable environmental and financial benefits.