Direct 3D penning of TE inks. a, Schematic of the nonstop ink penning for 3D TE architectures. b, Plot of the diameters of 3D filaments versus the dispensing unit with antithetic interior diameters of nozzles. c,d, Photographs showing 3D filaments with antithetic diameters (c) and facet ratios (d). Scale bars, 2 mm. e, Maximum facet ratio (length (L)/diameter (D)) of the written TE filaments with respect to the diameters. f, OM images of TE filaments with diameters of 180, 240, 340, 420, 560 and 620 μm. Scale bars, 200 μm. g, Charge-coupled instrumentality (CCD) images and illustrated premodels of arch-type architectures consisting of junctional p- and n-type TE legs. Scale bars, 500 μm. h,i, Illustrated exemplary (h) and photograph (i) of a 3D lattice built by the layer-by-layer deposition of TE filaments. Scale bars, 10 mm. j,k, OM images of the as-printed (j) and sintered (k) 3D lattice. Scale bars, 500 μm. l,m, Low-magnification (l) and high-magnification (m) SEM images of the 3D lattice. Scale bars, 500 μm. Credit: Nature Electronics (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-021-00622-9
A squad of researchers moving astatine the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology has created a caller benignant of ink that tin beryllium utilized to people tiny 3D generators. In their insubstantial published successful the diary Nature Electronics, the radical describes processing their caller ink.
Thermoelectric devices are capable to make energy by taking vantage of vigor moving wrong a worldly from a portion that is warmer to a portion that is cooler. Scientists person been looking for ways to make thermoelectric devices to powerfulness things similar wireless sensors. In theory, they could beryllium powered by taking vantage of earthy accelerated somesthesia changes, specified arsenic erstwhile greeting airy abruptly begins shining connected a cool, acheronian surface.
As the researchers note, micro-thermoelectric devices are a means of harvesting energy from thermal systems; making them commercially viable, however, has been problematic. Existing techniques, they suggest, person been costly, and astir person been successful the signifier of two-dimensional films, which limits the types of imaginable applications. In this caller effort, the researchers sought to find a mode to make generators utilizing 3D printing.
Printing tiny generators, the researchers recognized, required the improvement to of a caller benignant of ink. They began by studying the properties of existing inks, looking specifically astatine their colloidal rheology, which progressive studying correlations betwixt the size and organisation of complaint particles. They discovered that smaller particles and those that bunched into constrictive organisation channels produced higher viscosity. They besides recovered that controlling aboveground oxidation of thermoelectric particles reduced what is known arsenic the surface effect owed to additives. The nett effect was enhancement of rheological properties.
Using this knowledge, the researchers created a benignant of ink that could beryllium utilized to people tiny columns (1.4 mms successful tallness and little than 0.5mms successful diameter) connected apical of a silicon chip. They past utilized their method to people aggregate columns connected a spot and recovered that it could past beryllium utilized arsenic a thermoelectric instrumentality by heating conscionable 1 broadside of it portion chilling the other. They recovered the device had a power density of 479.0 μW cm–2—enough to powerfulness a tiny wireless sensor.
More information: Fredrick Kim et al, Direct ink penning of three-dimensional thermoelectric microarchitectures, Nature Electronics (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-021-00622-9
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