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Thermoelectric Materials (thermoelectric + material)
Selected AbstractsNanostructured Bulk Silicon as an Effective Thermoelectric MaterialADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 15 2009Sabah K. Bux Abstract Thermoelectric power sources have consistently demonstrated their extraordinary reliability and longevity for deep space missions and small unattended terrestrial systems. However, more efficient bulk materials and practical devices are required to improve existing technology and expand into large-scale waste heat recovery applications. Research has long focused on complex compounds that best combine the electrical properties of degenerate semiconductors with the low thermal conductivity of glassy materials. Recently it has been found that nanostructuring is an effective method to decouple electrical and thermal transport parameters. Dramatic reductions in the lattice thermal conductivity are achieved by nanostructuring bulk silicon with limited degradation in its electron mobility, leading to an unprecedented increase by a factor of 3.5 in its performance over that of the parent single-crystal material. This makes nanostructured bulk (nano-bulk) Si an effective high temperature thermoelectric material that performs at about 70% the level of state-of-the-art Si0.8Ge0.2 but without the need for expensive and rare Ge. [source] Microstructure-Lattice Thermal Conductivity Correlation in Nanostructured PbTe0.7S0.3 Thermoelectric MaterialsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 5 2010Jiaqing He Abstract The reduction of thermal conductivity, and a comprehensive understanding of the microstructural constituents that cause this reduction, represent some of the important challenges for the further development of thermoelectric materials with improved figure of merit. Model PbTe-based thermoelectric materials that exhibit very low lattice thermal conductivity have been chosen for this microstructure,thermal conductivity correlation study. The nominal PbTe0.7S0.3 composition spinodally decomposes into two phases: PbTe and PbS. Orderly misfit dislocations, incomplete relaxed strain, and structure-modulated contrast rather than composition-modulated contrast are observed at the boundaries between the two phases. Furthermore, the samples also contain regularly shaped nanometer-scale precipitates. The theoretical calculations of the lattice thermal conductivity of the PbTe0.7S0.3 material, based on transmission electron microscopy observations, closely aligns with experimental measurements of the thermal conductivity of a very low value, ,0.8,W,m,1,K,1 at room temperature, approximately 35% and 30% of the value of the lattice thermal conductivity of either PbTe and PbS, respectively. It is shown that phase boundaries, interfacial dislocations, and nanometer-scale precipitates play an important role in enhancing phonon scattering and, therefore, in reducing the lattice thermal conductivity. [source] Analysis of Nanostructuring in High Figure-of-Merit Ag1,xPbmSbTe2+m Thermoelectric MaterialsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 8 2009Bruce A. Cook Abstract Thermoelectric materials based on quaternary compounds Ag1,xPbmSbTe2+m exhibit high dimensionless figure-of-merit values, ranging from 1.5 to 1.7 at 700,K. The primary factor contributing to the high figure of merit is a low lattice thermal conductivity, achieved through nanostructuring during melt solidification. As a consequence of nucleation and growth of a second phase, coherent nanoscale inclusions form throughout the material, which are believed to result in scattering of acoustic phonons while causing only minimal scattering of charge carriers. Here, characterization of the nanosized inclusions in Ag0.53Pb18Sb1.2Te20 that shows a strong tendency for crystallographic orientation along the {001} planes, with a high degree of lattice strain at the interface, consistent with a coherent interfacial boundary is reported. The inclusions are enriched in Ag relative to the matrix, and seem to adopt a cubic, 96 atom per unit cell Ag2Te phase based on the Ti2Ni type structure. In-situ high-temperature synchrotron radiation diffraction studies indicated that the inclusions remain thermally stable to at least 800,K. [source] Complete Characterization of Thermoelectric Materials by a Combined van der Pauw ApproachADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 38 2010Johannes de Boor Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat directly into electrical power and represent an important contribution to lessen energy scarcity. Here we present a novel, simple and inexpensive approach for a complete thermoelectric characterization, by which all relevant quantities, like the electrical conductivity, the thermal conductivity, the Seebeck coefficient, and the figure of merit, can be determined directly. [source] Texturing Behaviors and Kinetics of NaCo2O4,, Thermoelectric MaterialsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 6 2007P. H. Tsai Polycrystalline NaCo2O4,, materials were prepared using the solid-state reaction technique. The processing dependence of texturing evolution of NaCo2O4,, was investigated quantitatively. The results indicate that the extent of texture increased with increasing process duration and then reached the maximum when the materials were sintered at 900°C for 12 h. The texturing kinetics obeys an exponential relationship, suggesting that the texturing processing is dominated by self-diffusion mechanism. However, the texture extent decreased when the annealing time exceeded 12 h. The experimental results may provide new insights into the optimization of processing parameters for the fabrication of polycrystalline NaCo2O4,, materials with the desired microstructure. [source] ChemInform Abstract: CaMn1-xNbxO3 (x , 0.08) Perovskite-Type Phases as Promising New High-Temperature n-Type Thermoelectric Materials.CHEMINFORM, Issue 49 2008L. Bocher Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source] Analysis of Nanostructuring in High Figure-of-Merit Ag1,xPbmSbTe2+m Thermoelectric MaterialsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 8 2009Bruce A. Cook Abstract Thermoelectric materials based on quaternary compounds Ag1,xPbmSbTe2+m exhibit high dimensionless figure-of-merit values, ranging from 1.5 to 1.7 at 700,K. The primary factor contributing to the high figure of merit is a low lattice thermal conductivity, achieved through nanostructuring during melt solidification. As a consequence of nucleation and growth of a second phase, coherent nanoscale inclusions form throughout the material, which are believed to result in scattering of acoustic phonons while causing only minimal scattering of charge carriers. Here, characterization of the nanosized inclusions in Ag0.53Pb18Sb1.2Te20 that shows a strong tendency for crystallographic orientation along the {001} planes, with a high degree of lattice strain at the interface, consistent with a coherent interfacial boundary is reported. The inclusions are enriched in Ag relative to the matrix, and seem to adopt a cubic, 96 atom per unit cell Ag2Te phase based on the Ti2Ni type structure. In-situ high-temperature synchrotron radiation diffraction studies indicated that the inclusions remain thermally stable to at least 800,K. [source] Complete Characterization of Thermoelectric Materials by a Combined van der Pauw ApproachADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 38 2010Johannes de Boor Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat directly into electrical power and represent an important contribution to lessen energy scarcity. Here we present a novel, simple and inexpensive approach for a complete thermoelectric characterization, by which all relevant quantities, like the electrical conductivity, the thermal conductivity, the Seebeck coefficient, and the figure of merit, can be determined directly. [source] Nanostructured Bulk Silicon as an Effective Thermoelectric MaterialADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 15 2009Sabah K. Bux Abstract Thermoelectric power sources have consistently demonstrated their extraordinary reliability and longevity for deep space missions and small unattended terrestrial systems. However, more efficient bulk materials and practical devices are required to improve existing technology and expand into large-scale waste heat recovery applications. Research has long focused on complex compounds that best combine the electrical properties of degenerate semiconductors with the low thermal conductivity of glassy materials. Recently it has been found that nanostructuring is an effective method to decouple electrical and thermal transport parameters. Dramatic reductions in the lattice thermal conductivity are achieved by nanostructuring bulk silicon with limited degradation in its electron mobility, leading to an unprecedented increase by a factor of 3.5 in its performance over that of the parent single-crystal material. This makes nanostructured bulk (nano-bulk) Si an effective high temperature thermoelectric material that performs at about 70% the level of state-of-the-art Si0.8Ge0.2 but without the need for expensive and rare Ge. [source] On the Design of High-Efficiency Thermoelectric Clathrates through a Systematic Cross-Substitution of Framework ElementsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 5 2010Xun Shi Abstract Type I clathrates have recently been identified as prospective thermoelectric materials for power generation purposes due to their very low lattice thermal conductivity values. The maximum thermoelectric figure of merit of almost all type I clathrates is, however, less than 1 and occurs at, or above, 1000,K, making them unfavorable especially for intermediate temperature applications. In this report, the Zintl,Klemm rule is demonstrated to be valid for Ni, Cu, and Zn transition metal substitution in the framework of type I clathrates and offers many degrees of freedom for material modification, design, and optimization. The cross-substitution of framework elements introduces ionized impurities and lattice defects into these materials, which optimize the scattering of charge carriers by the substitution-induced ionized impurities and the scattering of heat-carrying lattice phonons by point defects, respectively, leading to an enhanced power factor, reduced lattice thermal conductivity, and therefore improved thermoelectric figure of merit. Most importantly, the bandgap of these materials can be tuned between 0.1 and 0.5,eV by adjusting the cross-substitution ratio of framework elements, making it possible to design clathrates with excellent thermoelectric properties between 500 and 1000,K. [source] Microstructure-Lattice Thermal Conductivity Correlation in Nanostructured PbTe0.7S0.3 Thermoelectric MaterialsADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 5 2010Jiaqing He Abstract The reduction of thermal conductivity, and a comprehensive understanding of the microstructural constituents that cause this reduction, represent some of the important challenges for the further development of thermoelectric materials with improved figure of merit. Model PbTe-based thermoelectric materials that exhibit very low lattice thermal conductivity have been chosen for this microstructure,thermal conductivity correlation study. The nominal PbTe0.7S0.3 composition spinodally decomposes into two phases: PbTe and PbS. Orderly misfit dislocations, incomplete relaxed strain, and structure-modulated contrast rather than composition-modulated contrast are observed at the boundaries between the two phases. Furthermore, the samples also contain regularly shaped nanometer-scale precipitates. The theoretical calculations of the lattice thermal conductivity of the PbTe0.7S0.3 material, based on transmission electron microscopy observations, closely aligns with experimental measurements of the thermal conductivity of a very low value, ,0.8,W,m,1,K,1 at room temperature, approximately 35% and 30% of the value of the lattice thermal conductivity of either PbTe and PbS, respectively. It is shown that phase boundaries, interfacial dislocations, and nanometer-scale precipitates play an important role in enhancing phonon scattering and, therefore, in reducing the lattice thermal conductivity. [source] Enhancement of Thermoelectric Figure-of-Merit by a Bulk Nanostructuring ApproachADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 3 2010Yucheng Lan Abstract Recently a significant figure-of-merit (ZT) improvement in the most-studied existing thermoelectric materials has been achieved by creating nanograins and nanostructures in the grains using the combination of high-energy ball milling and a direct-current-induced hot-press process. Thermoelectric transport measurements, coupled with microstructure studies and theoretical modeling, show that the ZT improvement is the result of low lattice thermal conductivity due to the increased phonon scattering by grain boundaries and structural defects. In this article, the synthesis process and the relationship between the microstructures and the thermoelectric properties of the nanostructured thermoelectric bulk materials with an enhanced ZT value are reviewed. It is expected that the nanostructured materials described here will be useful for a variety of applications such as waste heat recovery, solar energy conversion, and environmentally friendly refrigeration. [source] Traversing the Metal-Insulator Transition in a Zintl Phase: Rational Enhancement of Thermoelectric Efficiency in Yb14Mn1,xAlxSb11,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 18 2008Eric S. Toberer Abstract For high temperature thermoelectric applications, Yb14MnSb11 has a maximum thermoelectric figure of merit (zT) of ,1.0 at 1273,K. Such a high zT is found despite a carrier concentration that is higher than typical thermoelectric materials. Here, we reduce the carrier concentration with the discovery of a continuous transition between metallic Yb14MnSb11 and semiconducting Yb14AlSb11. Yb14Mn1-xAlxSb11 forms a solid solution where the free carrier concentration gradually changes as expected from the Zintl valence formalism. Throughout this transition the electronic properties are found to obey a rigid band model with a band gap of 0.5,eV and an effective mass of 3 me. As the carrier concentration decreases, an increase in the Seebeck coefficient is observed at the expense of an increased electrical resistivity. At the optimum carrier concentration, a maximum zT of 1.3 at 1223,K is obtained, which is more than twice that of the state-of-the-art Si0.8Ge0.2 flown by NASA. [source] A Promising Approach to Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties Using Carbon Nanotube NetworksADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 4 2010Chuizhou Meng Enhanced Seebeck coefficients and power factors , important for the conversion of heat to electrical energy , are obtained in polyaniline/carbon nanotube (PANI/CNT) composites in which PANI coats CNT networks (see figure). The values are several times larger than those of either of the individual components. This new approach has potential for synthesizing high-performance thermoelectric materials. [source] Binary-Phased Nanoparticles for Enhanced Thermoelectric PropertiesADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 31 2009Wenwen Zhou Binary-phased PbTe-PtTe2 nanoparticles are synthesized by co-precipitation in a chemical process. These nanoparticles show much enhanced power factors as compared to that of pure PbTe nanoparticles, which may give impact on development of new types of highly efficient thermoelectric materials. [source] Unusual Sb,Sb bonding in high temperature thermoelectric materialsJOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 13 2008Jianxiao Xu Abstract The emerging families of advanced thermoelectrics are dominated by antimonides and tellurides. Because the structures of the tellurides are mostly composed of NaCl-related motifs, they do not contain any Te,Te bonds, and all of the antimonide structures exhibit Sb,Sb bonds of various lengths. Taking all Sb,Sb distances shorter than 3.2 Å into account, the Sb atom substructures are Sb24, pairs in ,-Zn4Sb3, linear Sb37, units in Yb14MnSb11, planar Sb44, rectangles in the skutterudites, for example, LaFe3CoSb12, and Sb8 cubes interconnected via short Sb,Sb bonds to a three-dimensional network in Mo3Sb5Te2. These interactions have a significant impact on the band gap size as well as on the effective mass around the Fermi level, for the bottom of the conduction band is in all cases predominated by antibonding Sb,Sb interactions, and,in some cases,the top of the valence band by bonding Sb,Sb interactions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2008 [source] Front Cover (Phys. Status Solidi B 6/2010)PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 6 2010M. Grundmann A Special Section in this issue (pp. 1257,1392) is devoted to research conducted in the research group FOR 522 headed by Prof. Marius Grundmann (University of Leipzig, Germany). The group designed and realized various nanostructures with three-dimensionally controlled geometry. Nanowires based on III,V and II,VI semiconductors as well as thermoelectric materials have been investigated. Curved structures , screws, spirals, tubes, and scrolls , have been fabricated using internal strains and specially designed growth processes. Out of the various explored structures promising routes for the study of fundamental effects have been identified which provide ample opportunities for further research. [source] | |||||||||||||