SBIR Phase II: Solid-State Heating and Cooling System Using High-Performance Thermoelectric Materials

The broader commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is the development of a next-generation system for heating and cooling buildings using solid-state technology. This project will establish a faster, more cost-effective manufacturing process to make these systems readily available to households. This technology allows homeowners to replace traditional conditioners with quiet and highly reliable heat pumps. These new solid-state heat pumps run entirely on electricity and feature no moving parts, making them very durable. This project utilizes novel additive ink-based fabrication to establish a scalable, cost-effective manufacturing workflow for high-performance thermoelectric solid-state heat pumps. By fine-tuning precursor composition, rheology, and thermal processing, the project will optimize n- and p-type thermoelectric inks to achieve higher material figures of merit. A core technical innovation is the deployment of at-scale thermoelectric leg printing. To achieve performance parity with incumbent heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technologies, these scalability gains are coupled with a systematic reduction in thermal interface resistance through the integration of advanced, thermally conductive materials. To ensure commercial viability, the project leverages high-throughput, industry-standard processes—such as automated pick-and-place assembly—to achieve mass-production yields. Rigorous reliability testing via cyclic loading will identify and resolve failure modes through iterative device design and assembly improvements. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.