On-chip energy harvesting and management enabled by Thermal engineering of two-dimensional MAterials

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals layered materials have been acclaimed for their great potential in several fields of condensed matter physics.

As applications are starting to appear, increased effort is dedicated to understand their unique electronic, optical, mechanical and chemical properties.

However, thermal and thermoelectric (TE) properties of 2D materials remain largely underexplored despite their profound potential impact on one of the most important current scientific and technological challenges: energy management.

TheMA is an ambitious project, which aims to create a breakthrough in our understanding and ability to control phonon and energy transport at the nanoscale.

Its main goal is to create novel 2D semiconductor nanomaterials and heterostructures for thermal management applications and TE devices for power generation beyond current state-of-the-art.

Specifically, by using phonon engineering approaches supported by advanced characterization, the project targets the fabrication and on-chip integration of (a) novel engineered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) based nanostructures for heat guiding and superior thermal insulation and (b) TE power generators capable of recycling the waste heat from hot spots or environmental interlinks, to deliver sufficient power to sustain low-power electronics.

Ultimate goal of the project is to provide innovative solutions for on-chip energy management and energy harvesting for Information and Communication Technologies, the Internet of Things and 2D nanoelectronic devices.The research proposed here will go beyond state-of-the-art providing the in-depth understanding of nanoscale energy dissipation and phonon transport in 2D nanomaterials and lay the foundations for the development of future three-dimensional heterogeneous electronics.

The findings will drastically enhance the prospects of TMD materials for thermal management and TE applications and boost their integration in the main semiconductor industry.