Laure Jeandupeux

Development of Flexible Micro-Thermo-electrochemical Generators Based on Ionic Liquids

The unfavourable relationship between electrical and thermal conductivity limits the choice of solid-state materials for thermoelectric generators (TEG). Among ionic liquids (IOL), it appears that a large variety of thermoelectric (TE) materials with promising high Seebeck coefficients have potential for development. Furthermore, the novel solid-on-liquid deposition technology (SOLID) allows the encapsulation of liquid TE materials to create new, highly integrated TEG devices. Following this vision, this paper studies a large number of IOLs looking at TE-relevant parameters such as thermal and electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and temperature-dependent viscosity. We show that positive and negative Seebeck coefficients can be obtained, depending on the molecular structure and the viscosity of the IOL. The properties of single-junction TEGs are presented in terms of I–V characteristics correlated with the IOL properties. We prove that the limiting effect of conversion efficiency is the current density that can be extracted from a device rather than the Seebeck coefficient.

Towards the Application of Structure-Property Relationship Modeling in Materials Science: Predicting the Seebeck Coefficient for Ionic Liquid/Redox Couple Systems.

This work focuses on determining the influence of both ionic-liquid (IL) type and redox couple concentration on Seebeck coefficient values of such a system. The quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) and read-across techniques are proposed as methods to identify structural features of ILs (mixed with LiI/I2 redox couple), which have the most influence on the Seebeck coefficient (Se ) values of the system. ILs consisting of small, symmetric cations and anions with high values of vertical electron binding energy are recognized as those with the highest values of Se . In addition, the QSPR model enables the values of Se to be predicted for each IL that belongs to the applicability domain of the model. The influence of the redox-couple concentration on values of Se is also quantitatively described. Thus, it is possible to calculate how the value of Se will change with changing redox-couple concentration. The presence of the LiI/I2 redox couple in lower concentrations increases the values of Se , as expected.

Red blood cell phase separation in symmetric and asymmetric microchannel networks: effect of capillary dilation and inflow velocity

The non-uniform partitioning or phase separation of red blood cells (RBCs) at a diverging bifurcation of a microvascular network is responsible for RBC heterogeneity within the network. The mechanisms controlling RBC heterogeneity are not yet fully understood and there is a need to improve the basic understanding of the phase separation phenomenon. In this context, in vitro experiments can fill the gap between existing in vivo and in silico models as they provide better controllability than in vivo experiments without mathematical idealizations or simplifications inherent to in silico models. In this study, we fabricated simple models of symmetric/asymmetric microvascular networks; we provided quantitative data on the RBC velocity, line density and flux in the daughter branches. In general our results confirmed the tendency of RBCs to enter the daughter branch with higher flow rate (Zweifach-Fung effect); in some cases even inversion of the Zweifach-Fung effect was observed. We showed for the first time a reduction of the Zweifach-Fung effect with increasing flow rate. Moreover capillary dilation was shown to cause an increase of RBC line density and RBC residence time within the dilated capillary underlining the possible role of pericytes in regulating the oxygen supply.

General aspects of solid on liquid growth mechanisms

Liquids, in general, tend to have a lower density as solids and therefore it is not straightforward to deposit solid over liquids in a way that the liquid becomes hermetically sealed under the solid layer. The authors review that several phenomena that can easily be observed in nature are only due to particular anomalies and solid on liquid is rather an exception as the rule. Natural solid on liquid systems are lacking of thermal, mechanical or chemical stability. It is not surprising, that one is not at all used thinking about to e.g. replace the gate oxide in a thin film transistor by a thin film of oil, or, to find in other microsystems functional liquids between a stack of thin solid films. However, once this becomes a serious option, a large variety of new Microsystems with new functionalities can be easily designed. In another paper (this conference and [1]) the authors pioneered that the polymer Parylene (poly(p-xylylene)) can be deposited on liquids coming already quite close to the above mentioned vision. In this paper the authors ask if one can synthesize other solid on liquid systems and surprisingly conclude, based on experimental evidence, that solid on liquid deposition seems to rather be the rule and not the exception.