Thermoelectric Materials, Phenomena, and Applications: A Bird's Eye View

Abstract

High-efficiency thermoelectric (TE) materials are important for power-generation devices that are designed to convert waste heat into electrical energy. They can also be used in solid-state refrigeration devices. The conversion of waste heat into electrical energy may play an important role in our current challenge to develop alternative energy technologies to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.An overview of various TE phenomena and materials is provided in this issue of MRS Bulletin. Several of the current applications and key parameters are defined and discussed. Novel applications of TE materials include biothermal batteries to power heart pacemakers, enhanced performance of optoelectronics coupled with solid-state TE cooling, and power generation for deep-space probes via radioisotope TE generators. A number of different systems of potential TE materials are currently under investigation by various research groups around the world, and many of these materials are reviewed in the articles in this issue. These range from thin-film superlattice materials to large singlecrystal or polycrystalline bulk materials, and from semiconductors and semimetals to ceramic oxides. The phonon-glass/electron-crystal approach to new TE materials is presented, along with the role of solid-state crystal chemistry. Research criteria for developing new materials are highlighted.

Potential 2D thermoelectric materialATeI (A= Sb and Bi) monolayers from a first-principles study

“…Due to their potential applications in energy-related issues, thermoelectric materials have been widely investigated both in experiment and theory 1,2 . The performance of a thermoelectric material is measured by the dimensionless figure of merit ZT , defined as ZT = S 2 σT /(κ e + κ L ), in which S, σ, T, κ e and κ L are the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, working temperature, the electronic and lattice thermal conductivities, respectively.…”

Lattice dynamics and substrate-dependent transport properties of (In, Yb)-doped CoSb3 skutterudite thin films

“…(3) and (4). To further validate this point, we plot the calculated Hall mobility of the films as a function of temperature in the inset to Fig.…”

“…The observed difference in the power factors of the films on different substrates is explained on the basis of the diffusion of oxygen from the substrates and the formation of highly conducting CoSb 2 phase upon the oxidation of CoSb 3 CoSb 3 -based skutterudites have been attracting considerable research interest owing to their high Seebeck coefficient (a) and high electrical conductivity (r). [1][2][3][4] The complex crystal structure of CoSb 3 provides a favorable framework to reduce the otherwise larger thermal conductivity (j) of CoSb 3 and enhance the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT ¼ a 2 rT/j. The desirable reduction in thermal conductivity can be achieved by filling the two naturally formed voids in CoSb 3 with guest atoms that can substantially impede the lattice phonon propagation.…”

Electric and Heat Conductions Across a Crack in a Thermoelectric Material

“…Thermoelectric materials are widely pursued for technological applications due to intrinsic coupling behaviour, including waste heat recovery, solid state thermal management, solar energy harvesting and carbon reduction (Disalvo [1]; Yang and Caillat [2]; Narducci [3]; Tritt and Subramanian [4]; Kraemer et al [5]; Bell [6]). Much effort has been devoted to developing hybrid thermoelectric materials with high conversion efficiency (Heremans et al [7]; Snyder and Toberer [8]; Gothard et al [9]; Vashaee and Shakouri [10]).…”