Research Projects

Global shift towards sustainable and autonomous energy solutions are driving the development of next-generation materials and devices capable of harvesting waste energy from ambience. Among these, flexible thermoelectric generators (f-TEG) offer an elegant, solid-state route to directly convert heat into electricity—particularly useful for powering wearable electronics, remote-sensors, and self-sustained biomedical devices. However, the integration of high-performance TE materials into lightweight, deformable, and scalable form factors remains a significant challenge. The proposal addresses this critical bottleneck by focusing on chemically-grown nanomaterials engineered for TE energy harvesting on flexible substrates. The core of proposal is to design and prepare ductile and anisotropic chalcogenide nanomaterials, particularly Ag₂Te, Cu₂Te, Sb₂Te₃, and Bi₂Te₃, which are known for their high thermopower, moderate electrical conductivity, and inherently low thermal conductivity. These materials will be grown via solution techniques and solid-state technique allowing for scalable processing. Techniques like drop-casting, spin-coating, and vacuum filtration will be developed to deposit these nanostructures directly onto polymeric substrates (PVDF, PET, PI), enabling flexibility and mechanical compliance essential for wearable applications. A key thrust of project is optimization of TE performance through structural and compositional engineering. Grain orientation control, alloying, nano structuring, and controlled defect introduction will be employed to decouple electrical and thermal transport—enhancing the power factor while suppressing phonon-mediated thermal conduction. Advanced characterization tools will be used to correlate microstructural features with TE transport parameters. Room-temperature ZT values in the range of 0.5–1.0 will be targeted under practical thermal gradients (~10–30 K). The project aims to fabricate functional f-TEG modules, comprising p-type and n-type legs integrated with metal contacts using low-resistance, thermally and mechanically stable interconnects. The fabricated modules will be evaluated for output voltage, and stability under mechanical deformation and thermal cycling to assess operational durability. This device-level validation will be supported by the design of test benches for online output measurements under ambient conditions and low-grade thermal gradients. In addition to the technical research, the proposal includes a techno-economic assessment and scalability roadmap, mapping a pathway from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2—concept validation in laboratory conditions—towards TRL 5, involving prototype demonstration in a relevant environment. The outcomes will help define application domains such as biosensors, wearables and off-grid low-power electronics. A major deliverable of this work is to create a platform technology— scalable, and adaptable—for f-TEG energy harvesting. The research bridges materials physics, nanostructure–property engineering, and device fabrication, establishing a multidisciplinary framework applicable to both academic and translational pursuits. At least two high-quality publications, potential patent filings, and conference presentations are expected. The project will also contribute to capacity building by training graduate students in cutting-edge materials synthesis, thermal-electrical characterization, and flexible device prototyping. From a broader perspective, the successful execution of this work will contribute to clean energy initiatives and the “Make in India” mission by developing indigenous, sustainable, and scalable TE technologies. By demonstrating that complex chalcogenide nanomaterials can be synthesized via simple routes and integrated into flexible platforms with competitive performance, the project sets the stage for future efforts in energy-autonomous systems, bridging the gap between lab-scale materials and practical energy solutions.