Nano-Carbons for Versatile Power Supply Modules (NanoCaTe)

The multidisciplinary consortium of the NanoCaTe project will develop a more efficient thermoelectric- and storage material based on nanocarbon (e.g. graphene and CNT) to reclaim waste heat by thermoelectric generators and to storage the energy in super capacitors or secondary batteries for manifold applications like pulsed sensors or mobile electronic devices. The integration of the developed materials into harvester and storage devices is a further step to characterize the performance of the innovative materials. Finally, a demonstrator consisting of harvester, storage and energy management represents a self-sustaining, universally usable, and maintenance-free power supply. The project will substantially strengthen the position of Europe in the field of thermoelectric and storage materials by developing devices with increased lifetime produced by cost-efficient technologies and therefore contributing to a further promotion of cleaner energy technologies.