Abstract
Drawbacks of low efficiency and high cost of the electrode materials have restricted the wide applications of the thermo-electrochemical cells (TECs). Due to high specific areas and electrical conductivities, the low cost multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) are promising alternative electrode materials. In this work, the MWNT films of up to 16 cm2 were synthesized on stainless steel substrates by the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to make the thermo-electrochemical electrodes. MWNT electrodes based on TECs were characterized by cyclic voltammetry and the long-term stability tests with the potassium ferri/ferrocyanide electrolyte. The TECs reached the current density of 45.2 A m−2 and the maximum power density of 0.82 W m−2. The relative power conversion efficiency of the MWNT electrode is 50 % higher than that for the Pt electrode. Meanwhile, the TECs was operated continuously for 300 h without performance degradation. With the priorities of low cost and simple fabrication, EPD-based MWNT TECs may become commercially viable.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40820-016-0082-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Harvesting of low grade heat (\130 °C) is considered an effective sustainable energy source
Thermo-electrochemical cells (TECs) utilize the temperature-dependent electrochemical redox potentials to convert the thermal energy to electrical energy
The TECs presented excellent long-term operation stability and substantial higher energy conversion efficiency than that for Pt-based TECs. This investigation suggests that electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method may be applicable for multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)-based TECs
Summary
Harvesting of low grade heat (\130 °C) is considered an effective sustainable energy source. Thermo-electrochemical cells (TECs) utilize the temperature-dependent electrochemical redox potentials to convert the thermal energy to electrical energy. Comparing with other thermal energy harvesting techniques, such as the thermoelectrics, thermocouples, and stirling engines [1,2,3,4], TECs have great potential for wide applications due to advantages of simple. The two half cells of the TECs are held at different temperatures, causing a difference in the redox potential of the mediator around the anode and cathode [5]. To get high exchange current densities, the redox couples, such as the ferri/ferrocyanide electrolyte, are commonly selected in TECs [8, 9]. We prepared the TECs electrodes by EPD of MWNTs on metal substrates. This investigation suggests that EPD method may be applicable for MWNTs-based TECs
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