Low-cost Polymer Materials for Efficient Waste Heat Reclamation

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Zhenan Bao, Chemical Engineering; Kenneth Goodson, Mechanical Engineering

Thermoelectricity, the direct conversion of heat into electrical power, can be used to reclaim otherwise wasted thermal energy from cars, factories, and power plants. However, conventional thermoelectric devices are made of exotic and expensive materials. This project will test novel polymers that can be used to develop efficient, low-cost thermoelectric devices at scale.

Publications and media

"A Record-setting Way to Make Transparent Conductors: Spread Them Like Butter on Toast"  SLAC Office of Communications (November 2, 2015).

"Ultrahigh electrical conductivity in solution-sheared polymeric transparent films" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112 (2015): 14138-14143.

Awarded 2014