New Materials For Thermoelectric Applications Theory And Experiment

Thermoelectric devices could play an important role in making efficient use of our energy resources but their efficiency would need to be increased for their wide scale application. There is a multidisciplinary search for materials with an enhanced thermoelectric responses for use in such devices. This volume covers the latest ideas and developments in this research field, covering topics ranging from the fabrication and characterization of new materials, particularly those with strong electron correlation, use of nanostructured, layered materials and composites, through to theoretical work to gain a deeper understanding of thermoelectric behavior. It should be a useful guide and stimulus to all working in this very topical field.

As concerns with the efficient use of energy resources, and the minimization of environmental damage have come to the fore, there has been a renewed interest in the role that thermoelectric devices could play in generating electricity from waste heat, enabling cooling via refrigerators with no moving parts, and many other more specialized applications. The main problem in realizing this ambition is the rather low efficiency of such devices for general applications. This book deals with the proceedings of a workshop addressed that problems by reviewing the latest experimental and theoretical work on suitable materials for device applications and by exploring various strategies that might increase their efficiency. The proceedings cover a broad range of approaches, from the experimental work of fabricating new compounds through to theoretical work in characterizing and understanding their properties. The effects of strong electron correlation, disorder, the proximity to metal-insulator transitions, the properties of layered composite materials, and the introduction of voids or cages into the structure to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity are all explored as ways of enhancing the efficiency of their use in thermoelectric devices.

An in-depth analysis of thermoelectric theory, an overview of present day thermoelectric materials and devices, and updated information on the most studied thermoelectric materials development. The main emphasis is on a basic understanding of the concepts as well as experimental techniques needed to propel researchers towards new and novel classes of thermoelectric materials with enhanced properties.

Advanced Thermoelectric Materials for Energy Harvesting Applications is a research-intensive textbook covering the fundamentals of thermoelectricity and the process of converting heat energy into electrical energy. It covers the design, implementation, and performance of existing and advanced thermoelectric materials. Chapters examine such topics as organic/inorganic thermoelectric materials, performance and behaviors of thermoelectric devices, and energy harvesting applications of thermoelectric devices.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE Written and edited by a global team of experts in the field, this groundbreaking new volume presents the concepts and fundamentals of using artificial intelligence in renewable energy and climate change, while also covering the practical applications that can be utilized across multiple disciplines and industries, for the engineer, the student, and other professionals and scientists. Renewable energy and climate change are two of the most important and difficult issues facing the world today. The state of the art in these areas is changing rapidly, with new techniques and theories coming online seemingly every day. It is important for scientists, engineers, and other professionals working in these areas to stay abreast of developments, advances, and practical applications, and this volume is an outstanding reference and tool for this purpose. The paradigm in renewable energy and climate change shifts constantly. In today’s international and competitive environment, lean and green practices are important determinants to increase performance. Corresponding production philosophies and techniques help companies diminish lead times and costs of manufacturing, improve delivery on time and quality, and at the same time become more ecological by reducing material use and waste, and by recycling and reusing. Those lean and green activities enhance productivity, lower carbon footprint and improve consumer satisfaction, which in reverse makes firms competitive and sustainable. This practical, new groundbreaking volume: Features coverage on a wide range of topics such as classical and nature-inspired optimization and optimal control, hybrid and stochastic systems Is ideally designed for engineers, scientists, industrialist, academicians, researchers, computer and information technologists, sustainable developers, managers, environmentalists, government leaders, research officers, policy makers, business leaders and students Is useful as a practical tool for practitioners in the fields of sustainable and renewable energy sustainability Includes wide coverage of how artificial intelligence can be used to impact the struggle against global warming and climate change

In recent years, there have been important developments in the design and fabrication of new thermoelectrics. While a decade ago, progress was mainly empirical, recent advances in theoretical methods have led to a deeper understanding of the parameters that affect the performance of materials in thermoelectric devices. These have brought the goal of producing materials with the required characteristics for commercial application a significant step closer. A search for efficient materials requires a fully microscopic treatment of the charge and heat transport, and the aim of this book is to explain all thermoelectric phenomena from this modern quantum-mechanical perspective. In the first part on phenomenology, conjugate current densities and forces are derived from the condition that the rate of change of the entropy density of the system in the steady state is given by the scalar product between them. The corresponding transport coefficients are explicitly shown to satisfy Onsager's reciprocal relations. The transport equations are solved for a number of cases, and the coefficient of performance, the efficiency, and the figure of merit are computed. State-of-the-art methods for the solution of the transport equations in inhomogeneous thermoelectrics are presented. A brief account on how to include magnetization transport in the formalism is also given. In the second part, quantum mechanical expressions for the transport coefficients are derived, following the approach by Luttinger. These are shown to satisfy Onsager's relations by construction. Three lattice models, currently used to describe strongly correlated electron systems, are introduced: the Hubbard, the Falicov-Kimball, and the periodic Anderson model (PAM), and the relevant current density operators are derived for each of them. A proof of the Jonson-Mahan theorem, according to which all transport coefficients for these models can be obtained from the integral of a unique transport function multiplied by different powers of the frequency, is given. The third part compares theory and experiment. First for the thermoelectric properties of dilute magnetic alloys, where the theoretical results are obtained from poor man's scaling solutions to single impurity models. Then it is shown that the experimental data on heavy fermions and valence fluctuators are well reproduced by the transport coefficients computed for the PAM at low and high temperature. Finally, results obtained from first principles calculations are shown, after a short introduction to density functional theory and beyond. A number of useful appendices complete the book.

The discovery of new materials and the manipulation of their exotic properties for device fabrication is crucial for advancing technology. Nanoscience, and the creation of nanomaterials have taken materials science and electronics to new heights for the benefit of mankind. Advanced Materials and Nanosystems: Theory and Experiment covers several topics of nanoscience research. The compiled chapters aim to update students, teachers, and scientists by highlighting modern developments in materials science theory and experiments. The significant role of new materials in future technology is also demonstrated. The book serves as a reference for curriculum development in technical institutions and research programs in the field of physics, chemistry and applied areas of science like materials science, chemical engineering and electronics This part covers 12 topics in these areas: 1. Carbon and boron nitride nanostructures for hydrogen storage applications 2. Nanomaterials for retinal implants 3. Materials for rechargeable battery electrodes 4. Cost-effective catalysts for ammonia production 5. The role of nanocomposites in environmental remediation 6. Optical analysis of organic and inorganic components 7. Metal-oxide nanoparticles 8. Mechanical analysis of orthopedic implants 9. Advanced materials and nanosystems for catalysis, sensing and wastewater treatment 10. Topological Nanostructures 11. Hollow nanostructures