Influence of Hydration and Temperature on the Na_xCO₂ Based Transducer Voltage

This paper presents an experimental approach to maximizing the voltage generated by Na_xCoO₂ and improving the overall efficiency of the p-type thermoelectric leg by doping with Na up to x = 0.88. Two samples with different geometries were tested, each measured with and without an additional magnetic field applied in the direction of the temperature gradient. The properties of sodium cobaltite in response to hydration were explored, at temperatures between 300 and 380 K. Water injection boosted the current and power up to 75-100 µW at a temperature of 350-360 K. This power boost can be attributed to an electron-ion fluid flow pattern maintained by the longitudinal thermomagnetic effect and by water molecules forming hydrogen bonds with oxygen atoms in the CoO₂ layers, inside the material. An electronic circuit was designed to boost the voltage to the desired level, for three or more sodium cobaltite samples mounted in parallel, and to store the energy in a supercapacitor. The output voltage and resistivity change of sodium cobaltite samples can be readily used as a humidity and temperature-sensing element in a transducer when paired with an appropriate electronic conditioning scheme.