About the project
The project merges the strong initiative in structural and semiconductor physics of non-oxide thermoelectric materials at FERMiO, University of Oslo, with its stronghold in high temperature defect chemistry of oxides, in order to develop oxidic thermoelectrics for generation of electricity from concentrated solar heat and waste heat from fuel cells and engines at high temperature. This will increase the efficiency and the design alternatives for solar as well as hydrogen and fossil-based power.
The project focuses on four tracks:
- Fundamentals of complex cobaltous oxides
- Heavily doped or non-stoichiometric binary oxides
- Novel classes of thermoelectric oxides
- N/p-junction stability and performance issues
The project involves experimental and calculational studies within groups in materials chemistry and physics at the top-tier centre FERMiO, University of Oslo, with participation from SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, Oslo, and networking with universities in Sydney, Australia. The project runs for 3 years, educates one PhD and one post-doc researcher, and aims to form basis for involvement and commercialisation by Norwegian startups/SMEs in a next stage.
Objectives
The main goal is to develop oxide thermoelectrics with properties suitable for use in thermoelectric generation of electricity from concentrated solar heat as well as waste heat from fuel cells and combustion engines in hydrogen, hybrid, and regular vehicles, operating at high temperatures in air.
Subgoals:
- Establish cross-disciplinary understanding of the thermoelectric, electric, and thermal properties of oxide thermoelectrics by unprecedented integration of defect chemistry, structural physics, physical electronics, and calculational methods enabled in the FERMiO top-tier group at UiO;
- Arrive at a combination of n- and p-type oxides with a stable and functional junction and state-of-the-art performance at high temperatures in air;
- that can form basis of next stage innovation and commercialisation in Norwegian SMEs.
- Educate one PhD and one post-doc researcher in calculations and experiment, materials physics and chemistry, of thermoelectrics.
Financing
The project is financed by the Research council of Norway, through the RENERGI programme, project number 143386.
Cooperation
The project is a colaboration between the solid-state-ionics, structure physics and electronics groups within SMN, and SINTEF Materials and Chemistry.