Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
A research group led by Dr. Shiren Wang is working to find efficient solutions for reusing and repurposing wasted heat energy.
Wang’s research group has invented a new hybrid nanostructure, with good mechanical flexibility and outstanding thermoelectric properties, that can serve as ink for scalable printing. In an iPhone X, printing of Wang’s thermoelectric materials onto the battery could extend the battery life five to 10 minutes. Integrated within a vehicle engine, it can improve fuel efficiency by 6 percent in freeway driving.
His research has been selected for publication in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s prestigious Energy & Environmental Science journal.
Industrial processes consume fuel to implement desired operations. Traditionally, more than half of the energy produced is lost through waste heat. Thermoelectric products are made from special materials that absorb heat and create electricity.
These products often need to have complex geometries that fit in tightly constrained spaces, which makes 3D printing the ideal manufacturing technique. Printable materials that demonstrate flexibility and high thermoelectric performance have been in short supply, but Wang is seeking new innovative solutions.
Read the original story about Dr. Wang’s research.
