Biobased plastics and bionanocomposites: Current status and future opportunities

Developing thermoelectric materials with superior performance means tailoring interrelated thermoelectric physical parameters – electrical conductivities, Seebeck coefficients, and thermal conductivities – for a crystalline system. High electrical conductivity, low thermal conductivity, and a high Seebeck coefficient are desirable for thermoelectric materials. Therefore, knowledge of the relation between electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity is essential to improve thermoelectric properties. In general, research in recent years has focused on developing thermoelectric structures and materials of high efficiency. The importance of this parameter is universally recognized; it is an established, ubiquitous, routinely used tool for material, device, equipment and process characterization both in the thermoelectric industry and in research. In this paper, basic knowledge of thermoelectric materials and an overview of parameters that affect the figure of merit ZT are provided. The prospects for the optimization of thermoelectric materials and their applications are also discussed.

A review on thermoelectric renewable energy: Principle parameters that affect their performance

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/admt.201700256

Thermoelectric Devices: A Review of Devices, Architectures, and Contact Optimization

Homogeneous flow model is used to study the flow and heat transfer of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) along a flat plate subjected to Navier slip and uniform heat flux boundary conditions. This is the first paper on the flow and heat transfer of CNTs along a flat plate. Two types of CNTs, namely, single- and multi-wall CNTs are used with water, kerosene or engine oil as base fluids. The empirical correlations are used for the thermophysical properties of CNTs in terms of the solid volume fraction of CNTs. For the effective thermal conductivity of CNTs, Xue (Phys B Condens Matter 368:302–307, 2005) model has been used and the results are compared with the existing theoretical models. The governing partial differential equations and boundary conditions are converted into a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations using suitable similarity transformations. These equations are solved numerically using a very efficient finite difference method with shooting scheme. The effects of the governing parameters on the dimensionless velocity, temperature, skin friction, and Nusselt numbers are investigated and presented in graphical and tabular forms. The numerical results of skin friction and Nusselt numbers are compared with the available data for special cases and are found in good agreement.

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Fluid flow and heat transfer of carbon nanotubes along a flat plate with Navier slip boundary

Processing strategies in bionanocomposites

Thermoelectric behaviour of melt processed carbon nanotube/graphite/poly(lactic acid) conductive biopolymer nanocomposites (CPC)

Experimental survey on the combination of radiating infrared and microwave sources for the drying of porous material

Conception of thermoelectric flux meters for infrared radiation measurements in industrial furnaces

Current passage tubes in conductive polymer composite for fluid heating

Usual plate solar collectors, based on a metal absorber (Cu, Al) selectively coated are technologically very sophisticated, expensive to produce and they are great consumer of fossil raw material. Polymeric materials are considered as a promising alternative for many interesting properties; easy moldability, corrosion resistance, they also offer a significant cost-reduction for solar thermal collectors, and a mass production may thus benefit to a broader utilization of solar energy. Most drawbacks of polymers are their low thermal properties; essentially thermal conductivity coefficient may strongly affect the solar absorber efficiency and deteriorate the collector performance. Polymers used in solar collectors are mainly petroleum-derivative product and mass use of them is not a response to environmental concern. That is why the laboratory chose to explore the potentialities of bio-polymers for the production of absorbers. This group of material presents the same properties as ordinary polymers. It is on the other hand possible to modify the thermal properties of the basic matrix by the addition of loads, such as carbon black, graphite or carbon nanotubes. The thermal performance of a solar collector is closely related to the thermal properties of the absorber. Within this framework, many measurements are necessary, more particularly the conductivity, but also emissivity and absorptivity to solar radiation. The aim of this paper is to study the thermal properties of the PLA bio-polymer charged of exfoliated graphite and/or CNT. Thereafter, the total hemispherical absorptivity, an estimation of the total hemispherical emissivity and the thermal conductivity coefficient were measured for different load rates, we will conclude on the interest and the potentialities of tested materials.

Hervé Noel

Papers

Thermoelectric behaviour of melt processed carbon nanotube/graphite/poly(lactic acid) conductive biopolymer nanocomposites (CPC)

Experimental survey on the combination of radiating infrared and microwave sources for the drying of porous material

Conception of thermoelectric flux meters for infrared radiation measurements in industrial furnaces

Current passage tubes in conductive polymer composite for fluid heating

Thermophysical and Radiative Properties of Conductive Biopolymer Composite