Research Projects

Nanostructured ceramic oxides are gaining attention due to their desirable properties, chemical and thermal stability, and efficiency in mid-high temperature thermoelectric applications. Graphene is an efficient material incorporated in ceramic composites to enhance electrical conductivity and suppress thermal conductivity. The proposed work involves preparing doped and nanostructured n and p type semiconducting oxides, characterization and optimization to achieve the best thermoelectric figure of merit, surface modification of ceramic powders to decrease intercrystalline potential barriers, synthesis of functionalized multilayer graphene, and fabrication of single pair thermoelectric modules using optimized oxide nanocomposites. The Belarusian group will optimize and functionalize graphene-like materials to be incorporated in oxide nanocomposites to achieve maximum thermoelectric performance. The results will be efficient oxide nanocomposites for high temperature thermoelectric applications, with a figure of merit value close to 1. Thermoelectric modules prepared using these materials will perform heat conversion at a higher temperature range with better efficiency than those with bare ceramic oxides.