Project description
Advancing energy sustainability with innovative thermoelectric generator tech
The challenge of establishing an energy-sustainable society in the 21st century has led to the ERC-funded ORTHOGONAL project. With the proliferation of sensor devices and the increasing demand for low-temperature waste heat recovery in industries, the project aims to tackle these challenges simultaneously. The key lies in thermoelectric generators (TEGs), offering a versatile and maintenance-free solution. ORTHOGONAL will pioneer the use of printable thermoelectric nanocomposite materials to create cost-effective, scalable and ultra-thin (< 2 µm) polymeric foil-based TEGs. Photonic sintering will enable the nano-soldering of these thin TEG films, followed by an origami-inspired folding process for fabrication. The project’s innovative approach promises to revolutionise energy harvesting and inspire developments in other electronic devices.
Objective
The transition towards an energy-sustainable society is the key challenge for the engineering sciences in the 21st century. This proposal addresses the energy supply for the future trillion sensor devices that form the backbone of our digitized society and it addresses the possibility to recover huge amounts of low-temperature waste heat in industry. Energy-harvesting from low-temperature environmental heat via thermoelectric generators (TEG) is a versatile and maintenance-free solution for both challenges. A prerequisite, however, is a cost-effective and scalable materials and manufacturing strategy for such TEGs. ORTHOGONAL will explore the devices using novel printable thermoelectric nanocomposite materials and it will tackle the fabrication challenges of printed TEGs based on ultrathin (< 2 µm) polymeric foils. We will explore n-type and p-type inorganic printable nanomaterials with high efficiencies and will use them for large area 2D printing on ultrathin substrates. By using photonic sintering, we will nano-solder the thin TEG films. The TEGs will then subsequently be fabricated by an origami-inspired folding process. A customized machine will be designed and constructed to allow for an automated folding of the 2D foil into the desired 3D geometry. As demonstrators, the project will realize TEG powered autonomous sensor nodes and a heat exchanger including a large area TEG. The work will build on my more than 30 years of experience in solid state semiconductor devices, several key patents from my group, and our recent proof-of-concepts for the thermoelectric materials and the device design. The design and fabrication principles of ORTHOGONAL will also be of use of other large-area electronic devices, e.g. X-ray detectors, THz-metamaterials, and piezoelectric transceivers.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics geometry
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
76131 Karlsruhe
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.