PrInted gRAphene ThermocouplE for the IoTs

Project Information

PIRATE

Grant agreement ID: 963980

DOI

10.3030/963980

Project closed

EC signature date 19 October 2020

Start date 1 March 2021

End date 31 August 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 150 000,00

Coordinated by

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PIRATE (PrInted gRAphene ThermocouplE for the IoTs)

Reporting period: 2021-03-01 to 2022-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Thermoelectric materials are able to convert heat into electricity or vice-versa. They are therefore very attractive as power can be generated from waste heat, hence helping in reducing CO2 emission and providing a sustainable technology for power generation. The energy conversion is evaluated by the figure of merit ZT, which depends on the Seebeck Coefficient (SC), the electrical conductivity and the thermal conductivity of the material.
Solution processed graphene is very attractive in printed technologies due to its conductivity, biocompatibility, and ease integration into IoT devices. Furthermore, the surface chemistry and number and type of defects can be easily tuned during chemical exfoliation, hence providing a family of graphene-based inks with tuneable properties.
In this project we studied the SC of graphene inks produced in different ways. We demonstrated that it is possible to change the SC from ~ 44 μV/K to ~10 μV/K. The graphene printed lines on paper are stable for more than 3 months and can sustain up to 2% strain.
This information is aimed at being used to make a all-graphene temperature sensor with sensitivity high enough to be used for wearable applications.