Interactions with the Flagship Core Project
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Complementarities and synergies between the MELoDICA project and the Graphene Flagship Core Project |
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Project objectives relevant to the Graphene Flagship Within the energy generation field, the graphene technology is at the readiness level of applied research and development or even of demonstration. The graphene flagship objective is to construct a value chain from material production to device realization, up to a higher technology readiness level, working in close connection with industrial partners. In this context, the MELoDICA project explores the potential of graphene-related materials as thermoelectrics for energy conversion, undertaking an investigation that is still at the research level. Noteworthy, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) may exhibit thermal conductivity values significantly smaller than that of graphene, which is beneficial for thermoelectric applications and can be attributed to the rich band structure, scattering channels, and dispersion relations calculated for the underlying phonon structure. The MELoDICA project follows a complementary approach by charting the territory of thermoelectricity in graphene-related materials for energy conversion and by broadening the range of material properties which may be appropriate in each application, while at the same time borrowing well-established scientific and technological knowhow from the graphene world. Conversely, the obtained results will be important for the already established activity of the flagship, both in term of material development and devices. A key activity of the MELoDICA project will be the study of the electrical and thermal transport across grain boundaries in nano-flake assemblies of TMDs, which is also a key issue in the fields of graphene-based sensors and flexible electronics, addressed by the graphene flagship. Synthetic TMD heterostructures produced by molecular beam epitaxy will also be explored and benchmarked against liquid exfoliated TMD nano-flake assemblies. |
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Complementarities and synergies between the MELoDICA project and the Graphene Flagship Core Project With respect to the current graphene flagship, the MELoDICA project addresses the complementary issue of searching for graphene-related materials which could better match the energy conversion needs. Specifically, it explores the potential of TMDs for thermoelectric applications, relying on the key roles of electronic confinement in few-atomic-layer thick samples and on the presence of interfaces in nano-flake assemblies. In this field, the present worldwide research is definitely in its infancy, both on experimental and theoretical grounds. Hence on one hand our project follows a direction, not yet covered by the flagship, of natural expansion of the graphene flagship toward akin materials as well as toward the field of energy conversion and cooling, and, on the other hand, the development and outcomes of our project may take advantage of the scientific and technological achievements gained with graphene in the field of energy generation. The similarity of nanostructural properties of graphene and TMDs, as well as the similarity of such fabrication processes such as liquid phase exfoliation and ink-jet printing, will allow to share results, knowledge and ideas, with mutual benefit to all parties. |
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Foreseen interactions between the MELoDICA Project and the Graphene Flagship Core Project Work Package(s) The topics of the MELoDICA project are foreseen to interact with the following Work Packages (WPs) of the Graphene Flagship:
At the starting of the project all the partners have been appointed new Associated Members or Core2 partners of the Graphene Flagship |
