Project Info
*Refrigeration without Refrigerants: Discovery of New Low-Temperature Thermoelectric Materials
Prashun Gorai
pgorai@mines.edu
The demand for cooling (refrigeration, air conditioning) is expected to rise exponentially in the near future. Cooling systems are used in homes, vehicles, industries, data centers etc. Refrigerants used in traditional cooling systems are already a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, air conditioning is currently responsible for almost 20% of the electricity use in buildings around the world. Thus, the increasing demand for cooling will only intensify emissions and energy consumption. From an economic point of view, the global market for cooling systems is estimated to be several tens of billions of dollars. Thermoelectric (TE) cooling could be the answer to this global challenge.
TE materials convert heat to electricity and vice versa. Solid-state TE cooling has several advantages: (1) does not require refrigerants, and (2) reliable and long life due to the absence of moving parts. One of the major bottlenecks in the adoption and expansion of TE cooling is the lack of high-performing, low-temperature thermoelectric materials. This project seeks to use computational methods to accelerate the discovery of new high-performance, low-temperature TE materials. The student will: (1) learn about the electronic and thermal properties of materials, and (2) acquire broad computational skills, which can be used to discover new materials for various technologically relevant applications.
More Information:
Grand Challenge: Engineer the tools of scientific discovery
General concepts of thermoelectrics: http://thermoelectrics.matsci.northwestern.edu/thermoelectrics/index.html
Literature on thermoelectric cooling: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2014.01.074
Literature on computational discovery of thermoelectric materials: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/natrevmats.2017.53
About our research group: www.prashungorai.org
Primary Contacts:
Prashun Gorai (pgorai@mines.edu), Michael Y. Toriyama (MichaelToriyama2024@u.northwestern.edu)
Student Preparation
Qualifications
Interested students are expected to have some knowledge or a willingness to learn about the electronic and thermal properties of materials, basic programming, and density functional theory.
TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)
5
SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED
The student will learn how to apply state-of-the-art computational methods to solve materials science problems. The student will also learn basic programming, if not already familiar. This project will also provide the student with ample opportunities to develop their soft skills: (1) working collaboratively as a team with other researchers in the group, and (2) communicating research findings through presentations and journal publications. These soft skills will be immensely useful for the student whether they choose a career in academia or industry.
MENTORING PLAN
The student will be mentored by Prashun Gorai (faculty) and Michael Toriyama (graduate student). The student will meet weekly with the graduate student mentor (over Zoom), and bi-weekly with the faculty (in person). The student will also have a chance to interact with the others researchers in the group during the weekly group meetings. Initially, the student will initially learn general concepts of thermoelectric materials by reading papers and through discussions. The student will then learn the specific concepts related to thermoelectric cooling. Next, the student will learn to use various computational methods through hands-on training.
PREFERRED STUDENT STATUS
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior