Ferroic Materials for Dynamic Heat Flow Control

This project aims to develop innovative thermal switches and diodes using domain walls in ferroelectric oxides for efficient heat flow control, enhancing sustainable energy applications.

Subsidie
€ 1.495.000
2023

Projectdetails

Introduction

Tackling climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our modern society and requires researching new refrigeration and renewable energy systems. Performances of all these systems could be significantly improved if they were combined with solid-state thermal switches and diodes. Current strategies that require nanostructuring materials or operating in the vicinity of a phase transition lead to thermal switches or thermal diodes with low efficiencies or that are not suitable for applications where space is limited. Furthermore, once designed, the thermal properties of these elements are set and cannot be modified.

Objective

My objective is to investigate a fundamentally new mechanism to design compact and efficient thermal switches and diodes. My strategy exploits, in ferroelectric and ferroelastic oxides, the interactions between phonons and spontaneously occurring planar defects known as domain walls.

Mechanism

Domain walls can be easily generated, moved, and oriented by the application of a small voltage or a small uniaxial pressure, and interact with phonons as defects do. They are thus perfect interfaces to achieve large and reconfigurable anisotropies in thermal conductivities in controlled directions in a fast and reversible way.

Approach

In this ambitious project, I develop a novel approach to demonstrate dynamic heat flow control through:

  1. The reversible engineering of the density of domain walls in desired directions.
  2. The development of advanced experimental techniques for in-operando thermal characterizations.

Impact

My multidisciplinary strategy will unravel the interactions between phonons and domain walls to reach higher thermal conductivity variations and lead to ground-breaking thermal switches and diodes. These thermal switches and diodes will be compatible with a large range of devices and have an impact in many fields critical for our transition toward a sustainable future (e.g., solid-state refrigeration, solar panels, thermoelectric devices).

Financiële details & Tijdlijn

Financiële details

Subsidiebedrag€ 1.495.000
Totale projectbegroting€ 1.495.000

Tijdlijn

Startdatum1-1-2023
Einddatum31-12-2027
Subsidiejaar2023

Partners & Locaties

Projectpartners

  • CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSpenvoerder

Land(en)

France

Vergelijkbare projecten binnen European Research Council

ERC Starting...

Imaging the local flow of heat and phonons

This project aims to visualize the breakdown of Fourier's law in heat propagation using a SQUID-on-tip thermometer to develop a new model for nanoscale heat transport in materials.

€ 1.499.990
ERC Starting...

On-chip energy harvesting and management enabled by Thermal engineering of two-dimensional MAterials

TheMA project aims to develop novel 2D semiconductor nanomaterials for enhanced thermal management and thermoelectric devices, improving energy efficiency in electronics and IoT applications.

€ 1.500.000
ERC Advanced...

Layering, Understanding, Controlling and Integrating Ferroelectric Polar Textures on Silicon

The project aims to integrate topological polar textures in nanoscale ferroelectrics onto silicon platforms to enable energy-efficient, ultra-compact electronic devices through advanced engineering techniques.

€ 2.499.960
ERC Starting...

Attosecond nanoscopy of electron dynamics instrongly correlated materials

This project aims to develop ultrafast soft-X-ray techniques to investigate and control phase transitions in correlated transition-metal oxides for advancing oxide electronics and ReRAM memory technology.

€ 1.997.105
ERC Starting...

Polarized 2D Materials Inspired by Naturally Occurring Phyllosilicates

The POL_2D_PHYSICS project aims to explore phyllosilicates as multifunctional 2D materials for sustainable electronics, focusing on their applications in gate dielectrics, magnetic, and ferroelectric insulators.

€ 1.499.630

Vergelijkbare projecten uit andere regelingen

EIC Pathfinder

A paradigm shift for the future's thermal management devices through radical innovation in new materials and additive manufacturing

ThermoDust aims to revolutionize thermal management by developing a novel material using nanotechnology and additive manufacturing for enhanced heat transport in electronics, EVs, and aerospace.

€ 3.275.985