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Michigan State University

Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies

MSU's Albert J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection (ARC) contains 1.5 million specimens

The Revolutionary Materials for Solid State Energy Conversion Center

Home › The Revolutionary Materials for Solid State Energy Conversion Center

Principal Investigator:
Donald T. Morelli
dmorelli@msu.edu
Professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Adjunct professor, Physics-astronomy

Other Michigan State University researchers:

  • Eldon Case, professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
  • Tim Hogan, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Subhendra Mahanti, professor of Physics and Astronomy
  • Jeff Sakamoto, professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
  • Harold Schock, professor of Mechanical Engineering

Researchers from other institutions:

  • Stephanie Brock, Wayne State University
  • Ctirad Uher, University of Michigan
  • Joseph Heremans, The Ohio State
  • Vinayak Dravid, Northwestern University
  • Mercouri Kanatzidis, Northwestern University
  • Chris Wolverton, Northwestern University
  • Vidvuds Ozolins, UCLA

Description of the EFRC:

How can science respond to the new challenges of a rapidly increasing worldwide energy demand, dwindling energy supply, and the overarching threat of environmental damage due to energy utilization?

To answer this question it is useful to think in terms of both short-term and long-term strategies. In the long term, there is a clear need to develop new, sustainable, secure, and carbon-free sources of energy. In the short-term, we must continue to rely on traditional sources of energy since a) no technologically and economically viable alternatives exist today and b) even if new sources of energy are found and developed in the near future we do not have the infrastructure necessary to utilize them on a global scale.

The question is, in this interim or short-term period, how can we impact energy utilization, especially in terms of increasing the efficiency of energetic processes? This award seeks to answer this question, using the approach of thermoelectric energy conversion: the conversion of heat to electricity using semiconducting materials.

All processes that produce usable energy also generate heat as a byproduct. In fact, over half of the energy produced in the US from all sources is lost in the form of heat at or prior to the point of use. As the name implies, thermoelectric conversion can transform a portion of this heat back into electricity.

The study of thermoelectric materials and thermoelectric energy conversion dates back well into the 19th century. In the last ten years, however, many new concepts have been brought to bear on this field and significant progress has been made in improving thermoelectric efficiency. Our EFRC is a large concerted effort in advancing our fundamental scientific understanding of the key factors resulting in increased thermoelectric performance, and thus can provide more efficient utilization of our energy resources.

Award:
Department of Energy
Energy Frontier Research Center
Planned funding level of $12.5 million for 2009-2014