Fundamental Study of Interaction of Ions Present in Water with Graphene Coatings for Energy Harvesting

水中存在的离子与石墨烯涂层相互作用的基础研究用于能量收集

• 批准号: 2002742
• 负责人: Nikhil Koratkar
• 金额: $ 31.73万
• 依托单位: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2002742&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Fundamental; Study; Interaction; Ions; Present

This project will investigate an approach to energy harvesting based on the interaction of a fluid such as water with a graphene surface. Graphene is a highly flexible, two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms and is ideally suited for the coating of large surfaces. This project aims to demonstrate that water flow over graphene surfaces can directly generate electricity. Graphene is ideally suited for this application, since it possesses high-mobility charge carriers that are ready to be coupled to moving ions present in the flowing fluid. Graphene is also flexible, minimally invasive (it is the thinnest material), chemically and mechanically stable, and environmentally benign. Moreover, its synthesis is scalable and macro-scale continuous graphene films can be produced by roll-to-roll deposition techniques. The proposed graphene coating offers unique possibilities for energy harvesting from hitherto untapped renewable sources such as rain, tidal action, waves, ocean currents, river water as well as water flow over boats, submarines, and bridges. Such graphene skins could enable harvesting of the ubiquitous, abundant and renewable mechanical energy of moving water directly to electrical energy. Unlike traditional schemes, the graphene coating directly converts the flow energy into electrical energy without the need for moving parts. Such graphene coatings could also replace conventional batteries (which are environmentally hazardous) in low-power, low-voltage and long service-life applications. Once scaled up, this concept offers a potentially transformative approach to energy harvesting, as compared with incremental advances in current technologies. The investigators will develop specially designed interactive learning modules (or virtual labs) which will be integrated into the curriculum. Outreach includes demonstrations to undergraduates as well as to high school students and teachers. The PIs aim is to popularize science and to attract under-represented groups to pursue careers in renewable energy technologies. This project will tackle the fundamental science and engineering challenges associated with developing graphene-based coatings for nano-fluidic power harvesting. The key science challenge involves understanding in-depth the mechanism(s) responsible for nano-fluidic power harvesting in graphene films. In particular, the project aims to develop a fundamental understanding of how ions present in a fluid such as water, interact and couple with graphene-coated as well as free-standing graphene surfaces. This will be addressed using carefully designed control experiments in conjunction with molecular dynamics and first principles density functional theory calculations. The engineering challenge is equally important and involves scaling up the graphene size in a manner that retains the outstanding power density of the coating. This will be addressed by adapting newly developed roll-to-roll and template-directed chemical vapor deposition techniques to produce macroscale graphene films and foams. The graphene manufacturing process will be optimized to avoid physical interfaces (breaks) in the film as it is scaled up to macroscale dimensions and to tightly control thickness and structure-properties of the graphene. The coupling between experiments and theory, modeling and simulation work will build fundamental understanding of the underlying science and enable successful development, optimization and validation of the proposed technology. The PIs will develop specially designed interactive learning modules (or virtual labs) which will be integrated into the curriculum. Outreach includes demonstrations to undergraduates as well as to high school students and teachers. The PIs aim is to popularize science and to attract under-represented groups to pursue careers in renewable energy technologies.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.

该项目将根据流体（例如水与石墨烯表面）的相互作用来研究一种能量收集的方法。石墨烯是一种高度柔韧的二维碳原子，非常适合大型表面涂层。该项目旨在证明水石表面上的水流可以直接产生电力。石墨烯非常适合此应用，因为它具有可与流动流体中存在的离子耦合的高搬进荷载载流子。石墨烯也具有柔性，微创（它是最薄的材料），化学和机械稳定，并且在环境上进行良性。此外，它的合成是可扩展的，宏观连续石墨烯膜可以通过卷到滚动沉积技术产生。拟议的石墨烯涂料为迄今未开发的可再生能源（例如雨水，潮汐作用，波浪，海流，洋流，河流，河水，河水以及船，潜艇和桥梁的水流动）提供了独特的能量收获。这样的石墨烯皮可以可以直接将流动水的无处不在，丰富和可再生的机械能收集到电能。与传统方案不同，石墨烯涂料直接将流量转换为电能，而无需移动部件。这种石墨烯涂料还可以替代传统的电池（环境危险），低压，低压和长期服务寿命应用。一旦扩展，与当前技术的增量进步相比，这个概念提供了一种潜在的能源收集方法。研究人员将开发专门设计的交互式学习模块（或虚拟实验室），该模块将集成到课程中。外展包括向大学生以及高中生和老师的示威游行。 PIS的目的是普及科学，并吸引代表性不足的群体从事可再生能源技术的职业。 该项目将应对与开发基于石墨烯的涂料相关的基本科学和工程挑战，用于纳米富集功率。关键的科学挑战涉及深入了解石墨烯膜中纳米富集功率收集的机制。特别是，该项目旨在对流体中存在的离子（例如水，相互作用）以及与石墨烯涂层以及独立的石墨烯表面相互作用的基本了解。这将使用精心设计的控制实验以及分子动力学和第一原理密度功能理论计算来解决这。 工程挑战同样重要，并涉及以保持涂层的出色功率密度的方式扩展石墨烯尺寸。这将通过调整新开发的卷到滚动和模板为导向的化学蒸气沉积技术来解决这一问题，以生产宏观的石墨烯膜和泡沫。石墨烯制造过程将被优化，以避免膜中的物理界面（断裂），因为它被扩展到宏观尺寸，并严格控制石墨烯的厚度和结构范围。实验与理论，建模和仿真工作之间的耦合将建立对基础科学的基本理解，并能够成功开发，优化和验证所提出的技术。 PI将开发专门设计的交互式学习模块（或虚拟实验室），该模块将集成到课程中。外展包括向大学生以及高中生和老师的示威游行。 PIS的目的是普及科学，并吸引代表性不足的团体从事可再生能源技术的职业。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准的评估值得支持的。