Session: 14-01: Measurement Techniques and Thermophysical Properties in Micro/Nanoscale

Paper Number: 139803

139803 - Photo-Thermo-Electrochemical Cell for Energy Harvesting 

Abstract: 

Self-powered devices are designed to generate and harvest energy from their ambient, enabling them to function autonomously without the need for frequent battery replacements or external power inputs. This directly affects battery consumption and environmental sustainability and opens the way for applications in harsh or remotely accessible environments, particularly in the realm of soft robotics. [1] Light and waste heat are two abundant and ubiquitous energy sources, making them suitable for off-grid applications, distributed sensing, IoT (Internet of the Things) and AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of the Things). Moreover, the need of adaptability and reliability for such soft robotic systems poses challenges on the choice of materials to be employed. Liquids and colloidal solutions have emerged as possible candidates in this framework thanks to their flexible nature and the possibility to feature thermo-electric [2], thermo-diffusive [3], thermo-magnetic [4], thermo-electrochemical [5] effects. However, liquids present intrinsic difficulties in packaging and handling, which would expose the system to failures.

 

Quasi-solid substances, such as hydrogels, represent an intriguing alternative. Hydrogels are created through the crosslinking of polymer chains, forming a network structure that can hold water in the spaces between the polymer molecules, and are even exploited in living organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and colonies of cross-kingdom species. In recent literature, attention has been paid to the use of hydrogels in thermo-electrochemical application, [6] exploiting this feature to store an electrolyte. Thermo-electrochemical cells represent a promising route to realize simple and reliable energy harvesters. They consist of two electrodes immersed into an electrolyte and maintained at different temperatures, exploiting the thermopower generated by the heat source to drive electrochemical reactions. The majority of the studies focus on either understanding the working principle or on the identification of possible candidate materials for electrodes or redox pairs to enhance the system efficiency. [6] However, obtaining a normalized power density above 1 mW/m²K² is still challenging. Recently, Wang et al. [7] proposed a new approach inserting semiconducting nanoparticles into the hydrogel matrix. The synergistic exploitation of photocatalytic activity of the nanoparticles and the thermo-electrochemical response of the electrolyte resulted in an output power of 8.5 mW/m²K².

 

Here, we focus on exploring the primary dependencies on electrolyte composition and geometry of the generated output power using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels. Additionally, we investigate the potential for synergy between thermo-ionic capacitor and thermo-galvanic cells, leveraging the diffusive behaviour of ions contained in a supporting electrolyte. A comparative analysis is presented with double-network hydrogels consisting of PVA and polyacrylamide (PAAm) interpenetrated networks, along with the investigation of ionic conductivity related to different chlorides. Furthermore, we previously showed that titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticles have favourable light to heat conversion capabilities thanks to their plasmonic nature, [8] providing interesting insights about the possible exploitation of synergistic effects.

 

 

 

Bibliography

[1]    Glotzer, S.C. Rise of the Colloidal Machines. Bulletin of the American Physical Society (2015).

[2]    Bevione, M., et al. "Liquid-state pyroelectric energy harvesting." MRS Energy & Sustainability 7 (2020)

[3]    Massetti, Matteo, et al. "Unconventional thermoelectric materials for energy harvesting and sensing applications." Chemical Reviews (2021).

[4]    Chiolerio, A. et al. "Waste heat to power conversion by means of thermomagnetic hydrodynamic energy harvester." Applied Energy (2020).

[5]    Burmistrov, I. et al. "Advances in Thermo-Electrochemical (TEC) Cell Performances for Harvesting Low-Grade Heat Energy: A Review." Sustainability (2022).

[6]    Zhang, J. et al. "Low-Grade Thermal Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Sensing Based on Thermogalvanic Hydrogels." Micromachines (2023).

[7]    Wang, Y. et al. "In situ photocatalytically enhanced thermogalvanic cells for electricity and hydrogen production." Science (2023)

[8]    Bevione, M. et al. "Plasmonic Nanofluids: Enhancing Photothermal Gradients toward Liquid Robots." ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2023)

 

Presenting Author: Matteo Bevione École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) - Laboratory of Nanoscience for Energy Technologies (LNET)

Presenting Author Biography: Matteo Bevione is born in Bra (CN - Italy) in 1995. He has completed his bachelor's degree in Physics in 2017 at the University of Turin and his master's in Nanotechnologies for ICTs in 2019 at the Polytechnic of Turin. He performed his thesis on the theoretical and experimental analysis of superparamagnetic and pyroelectric colloids for waste heat to power applications, resulting in a shared patent on novel technology for low-grade wasted heat harvesting. Afterward, he performed an internship at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the Center for Sustainable Future Technologies, where he gained valuable experience in waste heat to power technologies, soft robotic applications, and additive manufacturing.

His passion for the subject and the challenges arising in the forthcoming future led him to proceed in the academic world on robotics and energy. After a two year research experience in the Ceramic De-partment of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa - Dübendorf), Matteo is currently an EPFL Ph.D. candidate in the Doctoral Program in Photonics (EDPO) performing his studies in the Laboratory of Nanoscience for Energy Technologies (LNET - Lausanne) under the super-vision of Prof. Giulia Tagliabue.

From his master's until today, he has been actively involved in some extracurricular activities, among which student associations such as TEDxEcublens, Innovation Forum Lausanne (IFL) and the DRones Autonomous Flight Team (DRAFT). Here, he has refined his leadership, communication, problem solving, and teamwork skills, covering different roles from project leader to treasurer and partnership relation manager.

Authors:

Matteo Bevione École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) - Laboratory of Nanoscience for Energy Technologies (LNET)