Thermal Energy Harvesting

Mireille Mouis (1) , Emigdio Chávez-Ángel (2) , Clivia Sotomayor-Torres (2) , Francesc Alzina (2) , Marius V. Costache (2) , Androula G. Nassiopoulou (3) , Katerina Valalaki (3) , Emmanouel Hourdakis (3) , Sergio O. Valenzuela (4, 5) , Bernard Viala (6) , Dmitry Zakharov (7) , Andrey Shchepetov (8) , Jouni Ahopelto (9)

1 IMEP-LAHC - Institut de Microélectronique, Electromagnétisme et Photonique - Laboratoire d'Hyperfréquences et Caractérisation
2 ICN-CIN2 - Catalan Institute of Nanotechnology
3 NCSR - National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos"
4 ICN2 - Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
5 ICREA - Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats = Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies
6 CEA-LETI - Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information
7 National Research University of Electronic Technology [Moscow]
8 IEMN - Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520
9 ERATO - Cooperative Excitation Project

This chapter presents some recent advances in the field of thermal energy harvesting, starting with thermoelectric energy harvesting, with a focus on the prospects of materials nanostructuration. Research toward alternative solutions will also be presented. Thermoelectric (TE) conversion is the most straightforward method to convert thermal energy into electrical energy, able to power such systems as autonomous sensor networks. Raman thermometry offers particular advantages for a fast and contactless determination of the thermal conductivity. The highly porous Si material is nanostructured and has the properties of confined systems, including a very low thermal conductivity. The chapter explores an alternative route for thermal energy harvesting (TEH) with composites using the mechanical coupling between a thermal shape memory alloy (SMA) and a piezoelectric material.

Domaines: Micro et nanotechnologies/Microélectronique

Mireille Mouis, Emigdio Chávez-Ángel, Clivia Sotomayor-Torres, Francesc Alzina, Marius V. Costache, et al.. Thermal Energy Harvesting. F. Balestra. Beyond CMOS Nanodevices 1, Wiley-ISTE, pp.135-220, 2014, Nanosciences and Nanotechnology Series, 978-1-84821-654-9, 978-1-11898-477-2. ⟨10.1002/9781118984772.ch7⟩. ⟨hal-01059612⟩