![]() Moving from theoretical first principles to an experimental device presented another set of challenges. They discovered the optimal number, composition and sequence of the material layers that compose the van der Waals heterostructure to achieve nanoscale cooling in a thermionic device, offering a design strategy toward high-performance electronic and photovoltaic devices. In 2018 they published High-Performance Solid-State Thermionic Energy Conversion Based on 2D van der Waals Heterostructures: A First-Principles Study in Scientific Reports, a Nature family journal. ![]() Zebarjadi and Esfarjani continued their collaboration with Wang to show the potential for solid-state thermionic energy conversion. Zebarjadi and Esfarjani co-authored First principles calculations of solid-state thermionic transport in layered van der Waals heterostructures with Xiaoming Wang, published in 2016 in Nanoscale, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry. ![]() Zebarjadi’s early collaborations with Keivan Esfarjani, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering with appointments in materials science and engineering and physics, took a first principles approach to find out how solid-state energy conversion and transfer occurs when van der Waals heterostructures contact metallic electrodes. The cube is called a van der Waals heterostructure, and it is central to the story of how Zebarjadi moved nanoscale thermionic coolers from theory to application. These layers are weakly bonded and can be peeled and re-stacked like a cube of post-it notes. The proposed thermionic coolers are made from 2D layers that are stacked vertically. To work the problem, Zebarjardi’s lab has a become a research hub for electrical, mechanical and materials science and engineering that advances thermionic device design, fabrication and characterization. Because it is solid-state, it has no moving parts and does not require maintenance. Their thermionic device is among the only solid-state options proven to have achieved heat transfer and cooling at the nanoscale. Mona Zebarjadi, joint professor of electrical and computer engineering and materials science and engineering, leads the Energy Science and Technology Lab. A team at the University of Virginia School of Engineering’s Energy Science and Technology Lab has achieved a breakthrough in thermal management of microelectronic devices to address this need. And here’s the rub: As electronic devices get smaller and smaller, the amount of heat they generate increases dramatically, reducing the transistor’s efficiency and lifetime. But these new power suits will need power systems. The organizers of the 2019 smart clothing challenge believe it is only a matter of time before anyone can wear clothes networked in subtle and intelligent ways. Engineering Technologies for a Sustainable and Connected WorldĮnergy Science and Technology Lab Is Research Hub for Solid-State Thermionic Devices By Karen Walker may have a smart phone and live in a smart home, but do you wear smart clothes? Micro-electronics woven into a textile may give soccer players a competitive edge, but if you want touch-screen sleeves or a shirt collar that works like a mood ring, look to the Innovation World Cup® rather than FIFA for inspiration.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |