SBIR Phase I: The DTP-90 Thermoelectric Device with Distributed Transport Properties (DTP) for Refrigeration and Beyond

The broader/commercial impact of this SBIR Phase I project is to enable a carbon reducing, energy efficient cooling and refrigeration solution, with far-reaching societal benefits. The novel thermoelectric cooling (TEC) module's portability and compactness are invaluable for applications requiring reliable and precise temperature control, such as medical devices, vaccine storage, and portable refrigerators used in transportation. In off-grid or remote environments where conventional refrigeration is impractical, these modules offer a lifeline for preserving medicines and perishable goods. This technology could prove crucial in disaster relief efforts, field hospitals, and everyday scenarios like camping trips, improving quality of life and access to essential services, particularly in regions with limited electricity. The thermoelectric cooling module has the potential to benefit society in numerous ways, from enhancing electronics efficiency and sustainability to providing critical cooling solutions for portable applications. The solid state thermoelectric device technology does not have any working fluids, offering an innovative solution to current refrigeration systems which contribute to increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) production. The intellectual merit of this project is to produce distributed transport properties TEC modules using composite elements composed of materials with targeted transport properties informed by modeling and synthesized using conventional thermoelectric alloys. Distributed transport properties (DTP) is the optimal structuring of transport material properties, Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity, within thermoelectric (TE) elements to create solid-state temperature control systems with greatly increased performance. The introduction of a Seebeck coefficient gradient within the TE elements partially counteracts detrimental distortion of the internal temperature profile induced by Joule heating. This technology will help portable refrigeration applications to be more efficient and less costly with increased portability. The Phase I objective is to produce a prototype DTP module which can achieve a maximum temperature difference greater than 90 Kelvin (K) with a 3 times increase in cooling efficiency (coefficent of performance (CoP)) and heat pumping at DT=70K as well as a pathway to large-volume manufacturing of DTP modules in the United States (US). The program goal is to combine DTP structure and additive manufacture to enable highly cost-effective manufacture in the US of the world’s best performing TE devices. These advancements can revolutionize both consumer and industrial applications for thermoelectric systems, contributing to a more sustainable and technologically advanced future. 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.