Thermoelectric Metal-Organic Frameworks: Design, Synthesis and Assessment

Thermoelectric materials are of great practical and scientific interest as they can 'upcycle' waste heat into electricity. Porous framework materials, such as the crystalline metal-organic frameworks, in particular have recently been highlighted as desirable candidates for thermoelectric applications as they may couple very low heat conductivity with appreciable electric conductivity.

The project will entail the synthesis of fused aromatic rings with amino and thiol functionalities, and their incorporation into metal-organic frameworks in order to achieve 2D layered materials displaying 1D channelled crystal structures and displaying high electric conductivity with low thermal conductivity. Thermoelectric properties will be tested as part of the project, which in turn will be used to optimise the materials' composition and structure to obtain superior metal-organic framework-based thermoelectric materials. The project will involve a level of materials' processing, including but not restricted to the synthesis of the above metal-organic frameworks as thin films.