Christian Müller

Associate Professor of Polymer Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

Prof Müller received his PhD from ETH Zürich in 2008. He then held postdoc positions at Linköping University (Sweden) and the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB in Spain). His group at Chalmers University focuses on the chemistry and physics of organic semiconductors, polymer blends and composites, and develops new plastic materials for energy technologies ranging from organic solar cells and thermoelectrics to power cables. With the support of an ERC Starting Grant, Prof Müller hopes to develop wearable materials able to generate electricity by capturing our body heat. These thermoelectric textiles could power many of the devices that need to be used over an extended period of time without requiring repair or battery replacement or additional maintenance. The textiles developed in Dr Müller's research could even replace micro-batteries. For the first time, these thermoelectric textiles would be non-toxic, light-weight and inexpensive. The 'ThermoTex' project proposes the use of polymer semiconductors as a promising alternative to the metal alloys currently used for thermoelectric generators. Furthermore, the research team expects to demonstrate feasibility and practicality of both weaving and 3D-printing of these wearable thermoelectric textiles.