Who: RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
What: Researchers have investigated the thermal transport and related thermoelectric properties of graphyne. They found that zigzag beta-graphyne nanoribbons (Z-BGYNRs) possess superior thermoelectric performance with figure of merit value achieving 0.5 at room temperature, as compared with graphene nanoribbons (~0.05). See “Thermal transport and thermoelectric properties of beta-graphyne nanostructures”
Where: Applications are in thermoelectric devices.
When: Carbon nanomaterials display exceptionally high thermal conductivity and are therefore prime candidates to improve the performance of thermoelectric devices. Commercialization is still a number of years away.
