Periodic Reporting for period 2 - 3DScavengers (Three-dimensional nanoscale design for the all-in-one solution to environmental multisource energy scavenging)
Período documentado: 2021-09-01 hasta 2023-02-28
Imagine a technology for powering your smart devices by recovering energy from lights in your office, the random movements of your body while reading these lines, or small temperature changes when you breathe or go out for a walk. This very technology will provide energy for wireless sensor networks monitoring the air in your city or the structural stability of buildings and large constructions remotely and sustainably, avoiding battery recharging or even replacing them. These are the challenges in micro energy harvesting from (local) ambient sources. Kinetic, thermal, and solar energies are ubiquitous in our surroundings under diverse forms, but their relatively low intensity and intermittent availability limit their potential recovery by microscale devices claiming for the urgent development of multi-source energy harvesters.
3DScavengers’ objective is the nanoscale design of multifunctional low-dimensional materials for simultaneous and enhanced individual scavenging applying photovoltaic, tribo-, piezo-, and pyro-electric effects. The demonstration of an environmentally friendly industrially scalable one-reactor plasma/vacuum method will be crucial to integrate hybrid-scavenging components and to provide tailored microstructure-enhanced performance. Such an approach will strongly affect academia and industry by reducing fabrication costs in equipment, time, and energy.
Energy harvesting will prompt self-powered wireless sensor networks to monitor buildings, human health and the environment and power portable electronic devices. Recovering just a fraction of the 20% of industrial energy input lost to vibration and heat would have a transformational environmental and economic impact. The development of multi-source systems with compatibility with already established renewable technologies (will open new paths for large-scale energy conversion that will contribute to achieving Europe's sustainability ambitions.
3DScavengers’ objective is the nanoscale design of multifunctional low-dimensional materials for simultaneous and enhanced individual scavenging applying photovoltaic, tribo-, piezo-, and pyro-electric effects. The demonstration of an environmentally friendly industrially scalable one-reactor plasma/vacuum method will be crucial to integrate hybrid-scavenging components and to provide tailored microstructure-enhanced performance. Such an approach will strongly affect academia and industry by reducing fabrication costs in equipment, time, and energy.
Energy harvesting will prompt self-powered wireless sensor networks to monitor buildings, human health and the environment and power portable electronic devices. Recovering just a fraction of the 20% of industrial energy input lost to vibration and heat would have a transformational environmental and economic impact. The development of multi-source systems with compatibility with already established renewable technologies (will open new paths for large-scale energy conversion that will contribute to achieving Europe's sustainability ambitions.
In 3DScavenger we are already working with nanostructured thin films, NWs, NTs, and NTrees with metallic and (doped) metal oxide composition. A critical step has been the development of transparent conducting oxides working as an electrode in both solar cells and hybrid piezo-, tribo- and photovoltaic systems. We have also reported on a novel procedure for the fabrication of porous nanostructured NWs and thin films.
Our team has progressed in the Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of polycrystalline layers with ad hoc texturization looking for compatibility with soft templates. We are extending the simulation and modelling towards the multiscale modelling of the systems, including hybrid piezo-tribo nanogenerators and drop energy harvesters. A major task during this period has been to address the implementation of low-dimensional materials in energy harvesting devices.
Different systems are currently under development, ranging from hybrid piezo and triboelectric nanogenerators, self-powered piezoelectric sensors working on cellulose, low-dimensional perovskite solar cells, indoor light harvesters relaying on dye-sensitized solar cell approaches and drop energy harvesters to convert the kinetic energy from rainfalls.
Our team has progressed in the Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of polycrystalline layers with ad hoc texturization looking for compatibility with soft templates. We are extending the simulation and modelling towards the multiscale modelling of the systems, including hybrid piezo-tribo nanogenerators and drop energy harvesters. A major task during this period has been to address the implementation of low-dimensional materials in energy harvesting devices.
Different systems are currently under development, ranging from hybrid piezo and triboelectric nanogenerators, self-powered piezoelectric sensors working on cellulose, low-dimensional perovskite solar cells, indoor light harvesters relaying on dye-sensitized solar cell approaches and drop energy harvesters to convert the kinetic energy from rainfalls.
The most important results for this period can be summarized in the following bullet points:
• We have published a Kinetic Montecarlo Simulation tool to design the growth of polycrystalline texturized materials.
• We have demonstrated the one-reactor approach for the fabrication of transparent conducting oxide nanotubes and nanotrees by applying fully scalable plasma-assisted (magnetron sputtering) and vacuum (thermal evaporation) methods.
• Piezoelectric NGs and piezotronic nanosensors have been developed including paper-based devices.
• We have published a plasma-enabled methodology for the fabrication of piezo and triboelectric hybrid nanogenerators to harvest wide bandwidth vibrations, from body movement to sounds below 900 Hz.
• An evolved version of glancing angle deposition has been presented for the synthesis of metal halide perovskite nanowalls with striking optical dichroism. These nanowalls can be fabricated on virtually any substrate, including a perovskite solar cell architecture to work as a self-powered sensor for light polarization.
• We are developing a new concept of drop energy harvesters which will pave the way to the realization of tandem rain – photovoltaic panels.
• Highly stable and reproducible solar cells have been produced applying interface engineering, showing how an extremely thin layer of a plasma polymer can be the game changer to tackle current bottlenecks in the practical application of perovskite solar cells.
Next, we will complete the adaptation of the one-reactor system to enhance the mechanical and environmental stability of nanomaterials and devices. We will finalize the building of the multisource energy harvester characterization system. Hybrid energy scavengers as the combination of piezo and triboelectric counterparts are already under exploitation, the following step is the implementation of a piezoelectric harvester within the perovskite solar cell, exploring the pyroelectric and piezoelectric combinations.
• We have published a Kinetic Montecarlo Simulation tool to design the growth of polycrystalline texturized materials.
• We have demonstrated the one-reactor approach for the fabrication of transparent conducting oxide nanotubes and nanotrees by applying fully scalable plasma-assisted (magnetron sputtering) and vacuum (thermal evaporation) methods.
• Piezoelectric NGs and piezotronic nanosensors have been developed including paper-based devices.
• We have published a plasma-enabled methodology for the fabrication of piezo and triboelectric hybrid nanogenerators to harvest wide bandwidth vibrations, from body movement to sounds below 900 Hz.
• An evolved version of glancing angle deposition has been presented for the synthesis of metal halide perovskite nanowalls with striking optical dichroism. These nanowalls can be fabricated on virtually any substrate, including a perovskite solar cell architecture to work as a self-powered sensor for light polarization.
• We are developing a new concept of drop energy harvesters which will pave the way to the realization of tandem rain – photovoltaic panels.
• Highly stable and reproducible solar cells have been produced applying interface engineering, showing how an extremely thin layer of a plasma polymer can be the game changer to tackle current bottlenecks in the practical application of perovskite solar cells.
Next, we will complete the adaptation of the one-reactor system to enhance the mechanical and environmental stability of nanomaterials and devices. We will finalize the building of the multisource energy harvester characterization system. Hybrid energy scavengers as the combination of piezo and triboelectric counterparts are already under exploitation, the following step is the implementation of a piezoelectric harvester within the perovskite solar cell, exploring the pyroelectric and piezoelectric combinations.