SBIR Phase I: Validation of Ambient Thermal Electric Converter

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be the availability of low-cost energy without environmental damage. This technology could prove to be viable for energy production at costs well below those of even solar and wind energy, which are globally now the lowest ways to produce electricity. This will drive down CO2 emissions and other pollutants due to the reduce need for conventional energy production methods. Longer life batteries for mobile communications and other electronic devices, remote energy production and power for low cost water desalination are among the best use cases for the proposed technology. The proposed project will study the results of proof-of-concept testing on Aluminum-Gallium-Arsenide (AlGaAs) which shows low level energy production using ambient heat and apply that theory to a prototype Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride (HgCdTe) device. Results of further testing will be compared to modeling results to validate commercial viability of the device for low cost energy production. The first step is to replicate and expand on a recent measurement showing that semiconductor carriers at equilibrium can have temperatures higher than the lattice temperature. This indirectly validates the Yang transport model used as the theoretical basis for the heat-to-electricity device. The second step is to fabricate a prototype commercial scale heat-to-electricity conversion device. This project should demonstrate more clearly that direct conversion of ambient heat to electricity in semiconductor devices is possible. 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.