Thursday 07 August 2025
Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in enhancing the thermoelectric properties of graphene, a highly conductive and flexible material that has been touted as a potential game-changer for energy harvesting and storage.
Thermoelectric materials convert heat into electricity, making them an attractive solution for harnessing waste heat from industrial processes or even our own bodies. Graphene, with its exceptional electrical conductivity, seemed like the perfect candidate to revolutionize this field. However, its thermal conductivity has been a major obstacle – too much heat is lost through the material, reducing its efficiency.
Researchers have now found a way to overcome this limitation by creating nanomesh structures on graphene surfaces. These tiny holes and ridges disrupt the flow of heat-carrying phonons, allowing the material to retain more of its thermal energy and convert it into electricity with greater efficacy.
The team used a combination of advanced microscopy techniques to study the effects of these nanomesh structures on graphene’s thermoelectric properties. They found that the modified material exhibited a twofold improvement in power factor – a key metric for thermoelectric performance – at room temperature, along with a nearly threefold reduction in thermal conductivity.
This breakthrough has significant implications for the development of efficient energy harvesting devices. For instance, it could enable the creation of wearable electronics that can generate power from body heat or harness waste heat from industrial processes to produce electricity.
The researchers’ findings also highlight the potential of nanotechnology to manipulate materials at the atomic scale and unlock new properties. By creating complex structures at this scale, scientists can tailor materials to specific applications, opening up a wide range of possibilities for innovation.
While there is still much work to be done to fully realize the potential of graphene-based thermoelectric devices, this study represents a major step forward in overcoming the material’s thermal conductivity limitations. As researchers continue to refine their techniques and explore new applications, we can expect to see significant advances in the field of energy harvesting and storage.
Cite this article: “Graphene Breakthrough: Unlocking Efficient Energy Harvesting”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Graphene, Thermoelectric, Nanomesh, Heat, Electricity, Conductivity, Energy Harvesting, Storage, Power Factor, Thermal Conductivity
