Nano-Device for Energy Harvesting and Sensing

This course will introduce students to the field of nanotechnology with a special emphasis on nanomaterials synthesis, characterizations and their applications in civil and environmental engineering. The specific applications will include, but not limited to, tailoring mechanical property, durability, self-cleaning, self-sealing, self-sensing, energy harvesting and other multi-functionality. It integrates the fields of materials science, civil engineering and electrical engineering. The basic concepts will be discussed including nano-scale effect, process-structure-property relationship, nano- and micro-structure property characterizations, multi-functional materials, nano-device fabrication and their applications for energy harvesting, water infiltrations and environmental sensing. lab will be provided to students enrolled in the course to learn nano and micro-structure characterizations skills.

Week 1:

• Introduction to Thermoelectric
• Thermoelectric Materials Properties
• Thermoelectric Device Design
• Thermoelectric Device Fabrication

Week 2:

• Conventional Thermoelectric Generator Applications
• Thermoelectric Generators for IoT Applications
• Thermoelectric Sensors for Biomedical Applications
• Thermoelectric Sensors fro Environmental Applications

Week 3:

• Introduction to Piezoelectricity
• Fundamentals of Piezoelectricity
• Piezoelectric Characterization

Week 4:

• Piezoelectric Device
• Piezoelectric Transducer for Civil Engineering Application
• Piezoelectric Nanogenerator
• Piezoelectric Transducer Fabrication

Week 5:

• Introduction to Machine Learning
• Machine Learning with Materials Science
• Machine Learning Guided Materials Discovery
• Data-Driven Energy Discovery