Thermoelectric effect

About: Thermoelectric effect is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 37489 publications have been published within this topic receiving 733341 citations. The topic is also known as: Seebeck effect.

Silicon nanowires as efficient thermoelectric materials

Abstract: Thermoelectric materials, capable of converting a thermal gradient to an electric field and vice versa, could be useful in power generation and refrigeration. But the fabrication of the available high-performance thermoelectric materials is not easily scaled up to the volumes needed for large-scale heat energy scavenging applications. Nanostructuring improves thermoelectric capabilities of some materials, but good thermoelectric materials tend not to take readily to nanostructuring. How about silicon? It can be processed on a large scale but has poor thermoelectric properties. Two groups now show that silicon's thermoelectric properties can be vastly improved by structuring it into arrays of nanowires and carefully controlling nanowire morphology and doping. So with more development, silicon may have potential as a thermoelectric material. Thermoelectric materials interconvert thermal gradients and electric fields for power generation or for refrigeration1,2. Thermoelectrics currently find only niche applications because of their limited efficiency, which is measured by the dimensionless parameter ZT—a function of the Seebeck coefficient or thermoelectric power, and of the electrical and thermal conductivities. Maximizing ZT is challenging because optimizing one physical parameter often adversely affects another3. Several groups have achieved significant improvements in ZT through multi-component nanostructured thermoelectrics4,5,6, such as Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 thin-film superlattices, or embedded PbSeTe quantum dot superlattices. Here we report efficient thermoelectric performance from the single-component system of silicon nanowires for cross-sectional areas of 10 nm × 20 nm and 20 nm × 20 nm. By varying the nanowire size and impurity doping levels, ZT values representing an approximately 100-fold improvement over bulk Si are achieved over a broad temperature range, including ZT ≈ 1 at 200 K. Independent measurements of the Seebeck coefficient, the electrical conductivity and the thermal conductivity, combined with theory, indicate that the improved efficiency originates from phonon effects. These results are expected to apply to other classes of semiconductor nanomaterials.

Quantum dot superlattice thermoelectric materials and devices.

Abstract: PbSeTe-based quantum dot superlattice structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy have been investigated for applications in thermoelectrics. We demonstrate improved cooling values relative to the conventional bulk (Bi,Sb) 2 (Se,Te) 3 thermoelectric materials using a n-type film in a one-leg thermoelectric device test setup, which cooled the cold junction 43.7 K below the room temperature hot junction temperature of 299.7 K. The typical device consists of a substrate-free, bulk-like (typically 0.1 millimeter in thickness, 10 millimeters in width, and 5 millimeters in length) slab of nanostructured PbSeTe/PbTe as the n-type leg and a metal wire as the p-type leg.

Thermoelectrics Handbook : Macro to Nano

Abstract: GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS General Principles and Basic Considerations D.M. Rowe Modern Thermodynamic Theory of Thermoelectricity L.I. Anatychuk and O.J. Luste Thermoelectric Phenomena under Large Temperature Gradients L.I. Anatychuk and L.P. Bulat Minority Carriers and Thermoelectric Effects in Bipolar Devices Kevin Pipe Effects of Charge Carriers' Interactions on Seebeck Coefficients David Emin Thermal Conductivity of Semiconductors with Complex Crystal Structure V.K. Zaitsev and M.I. Fedorov A Chemical Approach to the First-Principles Modeling of Novel Thermoelectric Materials Luca Bertini, Fausto Cargnoni, and Carlo Gatti Recent Trends for the Design and Optimization of Thermoelectric Materials: A Theoretical Perspective John S. Tse and Dennis D. Klug Thermoelectric Power Generation: Efficiency and Compatibility G. Jeffrey Snyder A New Upper Limit to the Thermoelectric Figure-of-Merit H.J. Goldsmid Thermoelectric Module Design Theories Gao Min Modeling and Characterization of Power Generation Modules Based on Bulk Materials Timothy P. Hogan and Tom Shih Energy Conversion Using Diode-Like Structures Yan Kucherov and Peter Hagelstein Size Effects on Thermal Transport Chandra Mohan Bhandari Thermoelectric Aspects of Strongly Correlated Electron Systems S. Paschen Theory and Modeling in Nanostructured Thermoelectrics Alexander A. Balandin Thermoelectric Power of Carbon Nanotubes G.D. Mahan Phonon-Drag Thermopower of Low-Dimensional Semiconductor Structures Yu.V. Ivanov MATERIAL PREPARATION AND MEASUREMENTS Solid State Synthesis of Thermoelectric Materials B.A. Cook and J.L. Harringa Review of Methods of Thermoelectric Materials Mass Production Yury M. Belov, Sergei M. Maniakin, and Igor V. Morgunov Structural Studies of Thermoelectric Materials Bo Brummerstedt Iversen Measurements of Resistivity and Thermopower: Principles and Practical Realization A.T. Burkov Electrical and Thermal Transport Measurement Techniques for Evaluation of the Figure-of-Merit of Bulk Thermoelectric Materials Terry M. Tritt Measurement of the Thermal Conductivity of Thin Films F. Voelklein, A. Meier, and M. Blumers Solvothermal Synthesis of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials X.B. Zhao, T.J. Zhu, and X.H. Ji Approaches to Thermoelectric Standardization E. Muller, C. Stiewe, D.M. Rowe, and S.G.K. Williams THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS Thermoelectric Properties of Bismuth Antimony Telluride Solid Solutions H. Scherrer and S. Scherrer Bi-Sb Alloys: Thermopower in Magnetic Field V.M. Grabov and O.N. Uryupin Thermoelectrics on the Base of Solid Solutions of Mg2BIV Compounds (BIV = Si, Ge, Sn) V.K. Zaitsev, M.I. Fedorov, I.S. Eremin, and E.A. Gurieva Thermoelectric Properties of the Group V Semimetals J-P. Issi Thermoelectrics of Transition Metal Silicides M. Fedorov and V. Zaitsev Formation and Crystal Chemistry of Clathrates P. Rogl Structure, Thermal Conductivity and Thermoelectric Properties of Clathrate Compounds George S. Nolas Skutterudite-Based Thermoelectrics Ctirad Uher Oxide Thermoelectrics Kunihito Koumoto, Ichiro Terasaki, Tsuyoshi Kajitani, Michitaka Ohtaki, and Ryoji Funahashi Thermoelectric Properties of Electrically Conducting Organic Materials A.I. Casian Shifting the Maximum Figure-of-Merit of (Bi, Sb)2(Te, Se)3 Thermoelectrics to Lower Temperatures V.A. Kutasov, L.N. Lukyanova, and M.V. Vedernikov Functionally Graded Materials for Thermoelectric Applications V.L. Kuznetsov Recent Developments in Low Dimensional Thermoelectric Materials M.S. Dresselhaus and J.P. Heremans Thermoelectric Properties of Nanocrystalline Transition Metal Silicides J. Schumann and A.T. Burkov Nanostructured Skutterudites Mamoun Muhammed and Muhammet Toprak Thermal Conductivity of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials C. Dames and G. Chen THERMOELEMENTS, MODULES AND DEVICES Modeling and Optimization of Segmented Thermoelectric Generators for Terrestrial and Space Applications Mohamed S. El-Genk and Hamed H. Saber Thermocouple with a Passive HTSC Leg V.L. Kuznetsov and M.V. Vedernikov Anisotropic Thermoelements A.A. Snarskii and L.P. Bulat Miniaturized Thermoelectric Converters Harald Boettner, Joachim Nurnus, and Axel Schubert Thermoelectric Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) F. Voelklein and A. Meier Nanoscale Thermoelectrics Joachim Nurnus, Harald Boettner, and Armin Lambrecht Superlattice Thin-Film Thermoelectric Material and Device Technologies Rama Venkatasubramanian, Edward Siivola, and Brooks O'Quinn THERMOELECTRIC SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS Thermoelectric Power Generation System Recovering Industrial Waste Heat Takenobu Kajikawa The Concept of Thermoelectric Power Generation Topping-Up Co-Generation System Takenobu Kajikawa A Thermoelectric Application to Vehicles Kakuei Matsubara and Mitsuru Matsuura Thermoelectric Microgenerators with Isotope Heat Sources L.I. Anatychuk and A.A. Pustovalov Performance and Mass Estimates of CTM-ARPSs with Four GPHS Bricks Mohamed S. El-Genk and Hamed H. Saber Parametric and Optimization Analyses of Cascaded Thermoelectric-Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems with Four GPHS Bricks Mohamed S. El-Genk and Hamed H. Saber Space Missions and Applications Robert D. Abelson Quantum Well Thermoelectric Devices and Applications S. Ghamaty, J.C. Bass, and N.B. Elsner Thermoelectric Cooling of Electro-Optic Components V.A. Semenyuk Thermoelectric Refrigeration for Mass-Market Applications Montag C. Davis, Benjamin P. Banney, Peter T. Clarke, Brett R. Manners, and Robert M. Weymouth APPENDIX I: HISTORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL THERMOELECTRIC SOCIETY C.B. Vining, D.M. Rowe, J. Stockholm, and K.R. Rao APPENDIX II: SELECTED THERMOELECTRIC SOURCES

New and Old Concepts in Thermoelectric Materials

Abstract: Herein we cover the key concepts in the field of thermoelectric materials research, present the current understanding, and show the latest developments. Current research is aimed at increasing the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) by maximizing the power factor and/or minimizing the thermal conductivity. Attempts at maximizing the power factor include the development of new materials, optimization of existing materials by doping, and the exploration of nanoscale materials. The minimization of the thermal conductivity can come through solid-solution alloying, use of materials with intrinsically low thermal conductivity, and nanostructuring. Herein we describe the most promising bulk materials with emphasis on results from the last decade. Single-phase bulk materials are discussed in terms of chemistry, crystal structure, physical properties, and optimization of thermoelectric performance. The new opportunities for enhanced performance bulk nanostructured composite materials are examined and a look into the not so distant future is attempted.

Observation of the spin Seebeck effect

Abstract: The generation of electric voltage by placing a conductor in a temperature gradient is called the Seebeck effect. Its efficiency is represented by the Seebeck coefficient, S, which is defined as the ratio of the generated electric voltage to the temperature difference, and is determined by the scattering rate and the density of the conduction electrons. The effect can be exploited, for example, in thermal electric-power generators and for temperature sensing, by connecting two conductors with different Seebeck coefficients, a device called a thermocouple. Here we report the observation of the thermal generation of driving power, or voltage, for electron spin: the spin Seebeck effect. Using a recently developed spin-detection technique that involves the spin Hall effect, we measure the spin voltage generated from a temperature gradient in a metallic magnet. This thermally induced spin voltage persists even at distances far from the sample ends, and spins can be extracted from every position on the magnet simply by attaching a metal. The spin Seebeck effect observed here is directly applicable to the production of spin-voltage generators, which are crucial for driving spintronic devices. The spin Seebeck effect allows us to pass a pure spin current, a flow of electron spins without electric currents, over a long distance. These innovative capabilities will invigorate spintronics research.