Researchers Double Power Output of Heat-Harvesting Devices Using Engineered Membranes
Scientists have more than doubled the electrical voltage generated from waste heat by mimicking how human skin senses temperature. The advance could unlock new applications for thermoelectric devices in industrial waste recovery and wearable electronics, where capturing ambient heat as usable power remains commercially valuable.
Originaltitel: The enhanced ionic thermal potential by a polarized electrospun membrane
<p>Inspired by thermally sensitive ion channels in human skin, a polarized membrane composed of a ferroelectric polymer fiber matrix is used to double the heat-induced potential in ionic thermoelectric devices. The comparison of the thermal potentials between different directions of polarization and temperature gradient indicates the importance of cation-dipole interactions for the enhancement. Adding a polarized membrane to ionic thermoelectric devices induces dipole-ion interaction and enhances the thermal voltage by more than double.</p>