Bio-inspired thermoelectric cement with interfacial selective immobilization towards self-powered buildings

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Thermoelectrics
• Sustainable Construction

Background:

• Buildings contribute significantly to global energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
• Cement, a key construction material, possesses inherent ionic thermoelectric properties due to ion diffusion disparities.
• Pore isolation in cement limits ion mobility and thermoelectric performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To transform cement into a functional medium for heat harvesting.
• To enhance the Seebeck coefficient and thermoelectric performance of cement-based materials.
• To develop a biomimetic material for sustainable energy solutions in infrastructure.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a cement-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite (CPC) with aligned layers.
• Utilizing PVA hydrogel layers as ion diffusion highways.
• Engineering cement-PVA interfaces for selective ion immobilization to amplify diffusion rate disparity.

Main Results:

• The CPC achieved a Seebeck coefficient of -40.5 mV/K and a figure of merit (ZT) of 6.6 × 10⁻².
• The multilayer structure provided abundant interfaces, maximizing thermoelectric performance.
• The composite demonstrated superior mechanical strength and energy storage potential, enabling self-powered applications.

Conclusions:

• The biomimetic multilayer structure effectively enhances ionic thermoelectric properties.
• Interfacial selective immobilization is a key mechanism for improving ion mobility differences.
• This approach offers a promising pathway for designing high-performance ionic thermoelectric materials for sustainable infrastructure.