Harvesting Nanocatalytic Heat Localized in Nanoalloy Catalyst as a Heat Source in a Nanocomposite Thin Film Thermoelectric Device

Langmuir. 2015 Oct 20;31(41):11158-63. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b03193. Epub 2015 Oct 7.

Abstract

This report describes findings of an investigation of harvesting nanocatalytic heat localized in a nanoalloy catalyst layer as a heat source in a nanocomposite thin film thermoelectric device for thermoelectric energy conversion. This device couples a heterostructured copper-zinc sulfide nanocomposite for thermoelectrics and low-temperature combustion of methanol fuels over a platinum-cobalt nanoalloy catalyst for producing heat localized in the nanocatalyst layer. The possibility of tuning nanocatalytic heat in the nanocatalyst and thin film thermoelectric properties by compositions points to a promising pathway in thermoelectric energy conversion.