Temperature gradient measurements by using thermoelectric effect in CNTs-silicone adhesive composite

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Energy Conversion

Background:

• Thermoelectric materials offer a pathway for waste heat recovery and direct energy conversion.
• Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess excellent electrical and thermal properties, making them attractive for thermoelectric applications.
• Developing efficient and scalable thermoelectric devices remains a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and investigate thermoelectric cells utilizing a composite of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and silicone adhesive.
• To analyze the current-voltage characteristics and the dependence of key thermoelectric parameters on temperature gradient.
• To validate experimental findings through simulation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a composite material with a 1:1 weight ratio of CNTs and silicone adhesive.
• Characterization of thermoelectric cell performance under varying temperature gradients.
• Measurement of open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and Seebeck coefficient.
• Computational simulation to model and compare with experimental results.

Main Results:

• The thermoelectric cells demonstrated increased open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and Seebeck coefficient with rising temperature gradients.
• A seven-fold increase in temperature gradient led to approximately 40-fold and 5-fold increases in open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current, respectively.
• Simulated results showed good agreement with the experimental data, validating the fabrication and characterization methods.

Conclusions:

• The CNT-silicone adhesive composite is a viable material for thermoelectric cell fabrication.
• The performance of these thermoelectric cells scales effectively with increasing temperature gradients.
• The study provides a foundation for further optimization of CNT-based thermoelectric devices for energy harvesting applications.