Plasma deposition for thermoelectrics

The ability to produce coatings of a few nanometres where both the fine structure as well as composition determines the desired effect, has proved crucial for making modern devices like mobile phones and electronic tablets. However, there is presently no easily scalable method to produce relatively thick films e.g. of a couple of millimetres with structural and compositional control at the atomic level. The Virtual Cathode Deposition (VCD) approach pioneered by Plasma App has the potential to bridge this technology gap, and thus open-up new possibilities in device manufacture of the next generation of clever 'widgets'. Our vision here is to use VCD to provide thick-film manufacturing with an exciting new palette of graphene- type materials and layered structures. To test this, we will focus on the challenge of fabricating electrodes up to several mm thick for thermoelectric devices (they convert a heat-gradient directly into electrical power) where the preservation of nanostructuring in the active material is a major goal. This would provide the UK with an advanced technology to convert waste heat into useful power.