Thermal Resistance Measurements of Triply Periodic Minimal Surface Structures (TPMS) of the Thermogalvanic Brick

The presence of huge amounts of waste heat and the constant demand for electric energy makes this an appreciable research topic, yet at present there is no commercially viable technology to harness the inherent energy resource provided by the temperature differential between the inside and outside of buildings. In a newly developed technology, electricity is generated from the temperature gradient between building walls through a Seebeck effect. A 3D-printed triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure is sandwiched in copper electrodes with copper (I) sulphate (Cu2SO4) electrolyte to mimic a thermogalvanic cell. Previous studies mainly concentrated on mechanical properties and the electric power generation ability of these structures; however, the goal of this study is to estimate the thermal resistance of the 3D-printed TPMS experimentally. This investigation elucidates their thermal resistances which in turn helps to appreciate the power output associated in the thermogalvanic structure. Schwarz P, Gyroid, IWP, and Split P geometries were considered for the experiment with electrolyte in the thermogalvanic brick. Among these TPMS structures, Split P was found more thermally resistive than the others with a thermal resistance of 0.012 m2 K W-1. The thermal resistances of Schwarz D and Gyroid structures were also assessed experimentally without electrolyte and the results are compared to numerical predictions in a previous Mater's thesis.