Strengthening the BITES project’s commitment to collaboration and knowledge exchange, Reshma Krishnan Madathil visited the University of Zaragoza. During the visit, she met with the Thermoelectric Research Group led by Dr. Andrés Sotelo Mieg, Research Director in the Area of Materials Science and Metallurgy. Dr. Sotelo is a leading figure in the development of oxide-based thermoelectric ceramics, and his team continues to make significant contributions to the field.

This visit provided valuable insights and has opened opportunities for future collaboration within the BITES project.

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On 25/09/2025, as part of the BITES project’s collaboration and networking activities, Reshma Krishnan Madathil visited TECNUN, the School of Engineering of the University of Navarra, and the CEIT Research Centre in San Sebastián. The visit provided an excellent opportunity to explore their facilities, ongoing research, and innovative projects. Discussions with Jon Alkorta Barragan and Javier Aldazabal Mensa focused on how collaboration with TECNUN and CEIT could directly support the current research activities within the BITES project, while also identifying opportunities for future collaboration. This interaction not only enriched ongoing work but also strengthened professional networks, further advancing the objectives of the BITES project.

In line with the BITES project’s networking initiatives, on 09/09/2020 the BITES project team—Principal Investigator Dr. Reshma Krishnan Madathil and Project Supervisor Prof. César Martín-Gómez—visited Viguetas Navarra, an industry specialist in precast concrete solutions for residential construction, to discuss thermoelectricity and its applications in buildings. The visit included an explanation of thermoelectric technology and a discussion of our research on thermoelectrics for building applications with Luis Ilundain, CEO of Viguetas Navarra. This experience provided valuable insights for our research and highlighted potential avenues for industry collaboration, thereby strengthening the objectives of the BITES project.

1. Thermoelectric Brick with Solid–Solid Phase-Change Materials for building-integrated energy harvesting

Researchers designed a thermoelectric brick that embeds thermoelectric generators with solid–solid phase-change materials to harvest building waste heat and convert it into electricity. Simulations across different global climates show continuous power generation sufficient to support low-power devices, highlighting its potential for self-powered sustainable buildings.

👉 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359431125034362

2. Bio-Inspired Thermoelectric Cement for Self-Powered Buildings

This study introduces a bio-inspired cement-PVA composite that greatly enhances ionic thermoelectric performance by creating aligned ion pathways and selective interfaces. The material exhibits a substantially higher Seebeck coefficient and can be used to build self-powered architectural elements, moving toward thermoelectric-enabled infrastructure.

👉 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095927325002816

3. Nano-Engineered Thin-Film Thermoelectric Materials Enable Practical Solid-State Refrigeration

This Nature Communications study demonstrates nano-engineered thin-film thermoelectric materials that significantly improve performance over conventional bulk thermoelectrics, achieving much higher figures of merit (ZT) and solid-state refrigeration performance using scalable thin-film modules. The technology shows potential for compact, efficient cooling and electronics thermal management without conventional refrigerants — a major advance for thermoelectric devices in real-world systems.

👉 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59698-y

4. Patent: Facade System for Thermally Conditioning Buildings

This 2025 U.S. patent describes an innovative building façade system incorporating a grid of thermoelectric components (TECs) within wall panels to provide localized radiant heating and cooling without traditional HVAC equipment. The panel structure is thermally coupled to a building’s exterior surface, enabling active thermal conditioning and energy harvesting directly from the façade — a significant step toward smart, energy-efficient building envelopes.

👉 https://patents.google.com/patent/US12435889B2/en

1. Next-Gen Thermoelectric Cooling Wins 2025 R&D 100 Award

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) received a 2025 R&D 100 Award for its nano-engineered thermoelectric refrigeration technology, which uses CHESS materials to deliver up to ~70% better cooling performance compared with bulk thermoelectrics — a key step toward more efficient, solid-state cooling systems for future HVAC and building applications.

👉 https://www.jhuapl.edu/news/news-releases/250821-apl-refrigeration-tech-wins-rd-100-award-2025

2. Compressor-Free Cooling with Nano-Engineered Thermoelectrics

APL researchers, together with Samsung Research, demonstrated scalable solid-state cooling using nano-engineered thermoelectric materials that significantly improve heat-pumping efficiency without traditional compressors — pointing toward energy-efficient refrigeration and cooling technologies for buildings and electronics.

👉 https://www.jhuapl.edu/news/news-releases/250521-apl-thermoelectrics-enable-compressor-free-cooling

3. Hidden Energy in Building Facades Powers Smart Sensors

A thermoelectric energy-harvesting system developed by TEGnology uses natural temperature differences across building façades to generate electricity and power autonomous sensor networks without batteries or wiring. This enables long-lasting, maintenance-free monitoring of structural and environmental conditions in modern buildings.

👉 https://www.construction21.org/articles/h/hidden-energy-in-building-facades-turning-heat-into-smart-sensor-power.html

4. Thermoelectric Generator Market Set for Strong Growth

A market report from Mordor Intelligence forecasts robust growth in the global thermoelectric generator market, with wearable and consumer electronic applications expanding rapidly and projected ~13.6% CAGR through 2030. This trend reflects broader interest in energy harvesting and integrated thermoelectric solutions across sectors including building sensors and IoT.

👉https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/11/18/3190162/0/en/Thermoelectric-Generator-Market-to-see-Wearables-Consumer-Electronic-Applications-Grow-at-13-6-CAGR-to-2030-says-Mordor-Intelligence.html

1. ICT 2026 – Houston, TX, USA — 42nd International Conference on Thermoelectrics-May 17–21, 2026

The premier global event on thermoelectric research and applications will showcase advances in materials, modules, and system-level integration including thermal management and energy conversion strategies.

👉  https://its.org/event/ict-2016-houston/