Abstract
dc:description.abstractThe development of a complete thermoelectric generator and its application on a display polarizer film was successfully accomplished in this thesis. A systematic study of the prospective thermoelectric materials, PEDOT:PSS-based and ${ZnON}$, used for the present application is presented. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first exploration of the thermoelectric parameters of ${ZnON}$ reported here. Thin-film deposition of these materials was performed via both solution- and vacuum-based techniques. In addition, certain doping mechanisms were tested in an attempt to further understand the correlation between electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. A maximum power factor of 42{μ}Wm-1K-2 was achieved for the PEDOT:PSS-based thin film at room temperature. It was initially doped via 5vol% of DMSO and sequentially treated with ethylene glycol. Specifically, its electrical conductivity displayed a 2-fold increase after EG treatment, reaching a value of about 1632 Scm-1. Systematic studies performed on the association between thin-film thickness and its Seebeck coefficient shows a decrease in the latter as the number of multilayers printed increases. Among the different O2/N2 ratios that were tested for ${ZnON}$ thin films, a maximum power factor value of 163{μ}Wm-1K{-2} was achieved with the lowest O2 flow rate configuration. In contrast to PEDOT:PSS-based thin films, the ${ZnON}$ displayed the opposite effect on the relation of the Seebeck coefficient with respect to thin-film thickness. Furthermore, a heterostructure was also developed by implementing ${ZnO}$ nanowires into the ${ZnON}$ thin film. ${ZnO}$ nanowires have been fabricated through the hydrothermal method on inkjet-printed patterns of zinc acetate dihydrate. It has been demonstrated that with the right inkjet-printing parameters and substrate temperature, ${ZnO}$ nanowires can be effortlessly fabricated in accordance with the desired pattern variations under low temperature and mild conditions. Finally, a complete device of the thermoelectric generator was fabricated using the above materials and a special set-up developed in order to test the device on the polarizer. The power output achieved from a 1-thermoelectric couple under normal backlight illumination and ambient conditions was 23pW. Overall, it is thought that the particular design and proof of concept presented here can be the basis of a prospective energy harvesting scheme via thermoelectrics in future display-based handheld devices.
Degree
thesis:*- Name dc:type.qualificationname
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
- Doctoral
- Grantor dc:publisher.institution
- University of Cambridge
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2017
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Tsangarides, Constantinos
- Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
-
- Nathan, Arokia
Subjects
dc:subject × 9Rights
dc:rightsIdentifiers
dc:identifier.*- DOI dc:identifier.doi
- https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.14423
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/268222