Zeitschrift für Chemieingenieurwesen und Prozesstechnologie
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Better thermoelectricity using nanostructures

Gunadhor S Okram

The A thermoelectric (TE) generator produces electricity from waste heat or temperature gradient as among the cleanest form of energy. Its best performance can be achieved using efficient TE materials with high figure of merit ZT = (S2σ/κ) T, where S is the TE voltage, σ is the electrical conductivity, κ is the thermal conductivity and T is the temperature. Nano structuring a TE material decouples its naturally coupled S, σ, and κ parameters to achieve a better or record ZT. Record ZT materials are generally toxic materials, requiring search for less toxic materials. We shall discuss some of these aspects in brief in this talk.