@ The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR
Designing high performance thermoelectrics (figure of merit zT) involves navigating the complex interplay between electronic and thermal transports. Our group focuses on tailoring not only the microstructural properties of materials, but also their electronic and phonon band structures. This is done via intuitive understanding of solid state physics and chemistry, as well as the complex interplay of parameters making up zT.
Electronic Transports
Thermal Transports
Sustainable Thermoelectrics
Our group focuses on all aspects of thermoelectrics, with specific focus on bulk inorganic materials. Tapping on the recent advancements in thermoelectric materials performance, we aim to explore the following areas:
- On-chip cooling for the electronics industry.
- Energy harvesting for aerospace industry (commercial airplane).
- Power for battery-less small unit wearable electronics, IoT devices, and implants.
Exciting new direction coming up! Stay tuned for updates!
High Performance Thermoelectrics (inorganic bulk)
End-of-life semiconductor electronics and metals can be re-engineered towards high-performance thermoelectrics. This can be done considering thermoelectrics are majority carrier device, making them generally defect-tolerant. Case in point the waste silicon from solar cells are generally not economical enough to be recycled, as it involves costly purification processes. By careful doping and alloying, the waste silicon can be re-purposed into silicon-based thermoelectrics for high temperature power generation, with potential applications in aircrafts and nuclear reactor.
More to follow...
Semiconductor Upcycling
Journal of Materials Chemistry A 9, no. 41 (2021): 23335-23344.
Our research group focuses on different aspects of electronic and thermal transport in energy materials. We aim to design the next-generation energy materials via additive manufacturing. Specifically, we go in-depth into thermoelectrics, with focus on energy harvesting and solid state refrigeration. Our work encompasses fundamental materials → processing/fabrication → applications.
Applications
Designing a high performance thermoelectric starts with high figure of merit, zT. In addition, good electrical and thermal contact quality is equally vital in ensuring low contact resistance and minimal parasitic losses. This includes ensuring compatibility between n-type and p-type thermoelectric legs, impedance matching, and also good thermal insulation between hot and cold end of the junctions.