Recent Trends In Thermoelectric Materials Research Part Two

Since its inception in 1966, the series of numbered volumes known as Semiconductors and Semimetals has distinguished itself through the careful selection of well-known authors, editors, and contributors. The Willardson and Beer series, as it is widely known, has succeeded in producing numerous landmark volumes and chapters. Not only did many of these volumes make an impact at the time of their publication, but they continue to be well-cited years after their original release. Recently, Professor Eicke R. Weber of the University of California at Berkeley joined as a co-editor of the series. Professor Weber, a well-known expert in the field of semiconductor materials, will further contribute to continuing the series' tradition of publishing timely, highly relevant, and long-impacting volumes. Some of the recent volumes, such as Hydrogen in Semiconductors, Imperfections in III/V Materials, Epitaxial Microstructures, High-Speed Heterostructure Devices, Oxygen in Silicon, and others promise that this tradition will be maintained and even expanded.Thermoelectric materials may be used for solid state refrigeration or power generation applications via the large Peltier effect in these materials. To be an effective thermoelectric material, a material must possess a large Seebeck coefficient, a low resistivity and a low thermal conductivity. Due to increased need for alternative energy sources providing environmentally friendly refrigeration and power generation, thermoelectric materials research experienced a rebirth in the mid 1990's. Semiconductors and Semimetals, Volume 70: Recent Trends in Thermoelectric Materials Research: Part Two provides an overview of much of this research in thermoelectric materials during the decade of the 1990's. New materials and new material concepts such as quantum well and superlattice structures gave hope to the possibilities that might be achieved. An effort was made to focus on these new materials and not on materials such as BiTe alloys, since such recent reviews are available. Experts in the field who were active researchers during this period were the primary authors to this series of review articles. This is the most complete collection of review articles that are primarily focussed on new materials and new concepts that is existence to date.

Since its inception in 1966, the series of numbered volumes known as Semiconductors and Semimetals has distinguished itself through the careful selection of well-known authors, editors, and contributors. The Willardson and Beer series, as it is widely known, has succeeded in producing numerous landmark volumes and chapters. Not only did many of these volumes make an impact at the time of their publication, but they continue to be well-cited years after their original release. Recently, Professor Eicke R. Weber of the University of California at Berkeley joined as a co-editor of the series. Professor Weber, a well-known expert in the field of semiconductor materials, will further contribute to continuing the series' tradition of publishing timely, highly relevant, and long-impacting volumes. Some of the recent volumes, such as Hydrogen in Semiconductors, Imperfections in III/V Materials, Epitaxial Microstructures, High-Speed Heterostructure Devices, Oxygen in Silicon, and others promise that this tradition will be maintained and even expanded. Thermoelectric materials may be used for solid state refrigeration or power generation applications via the large Peltier effect in these materials. To be an effective thermoelectric material, a material must possess a large Seebeck coefficient, a low resistivity and a low thermal conductivity. Due to increased need for alternative energy sources providing environmentally friendly refrigeration and power generation, thermoelectric materials research experienced a rebirth in the mid 1990's. Semiconductors and Semimetals, Volume 71: Recent Trends in Thermoelectric Materials Research: Part Three provides an overview of much of this research in thermoelectric materials during the decade of the 1990's. New materials and new material concepts such as quantum well and superlattice structures gave hope to the possibilities that might be achieved. An effort was made to focus on these new materials and not on materials such as BiTe alloys, since such recent reviews are available. Experts in the field who were active researchers during this period were the primary authors to this series of review articles. This is the most complete collection of review articles that are primarily focussed on new materials and new concepts that is existence to date.

This book provides a benchmark for the state of the field of thermoelectric materials research and development. Highlights of the volume include results on superlattices that show a ZT = 2.4 at room temperature in p-type Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 superlattice thermoelectrics. In addition, preliminary results on p-n couple devices from these superlattices indicate fast-acting spot cooling in addition to improved performance. Thermoelectric materials are utilized in a wide variety of applications related to solid-state refrigeration or small-scale power generation. The book focuses on traditional thermoelectric materials new materials as well as developments in device engineering. Many papers presented here revolve around either maximizing the numerator of Z, called the power factor, or by minimizing l. Topics include: guidance to advanced thermoelectric research; skutterudites; new materials, approaches and measurements; clathrates; chalcogenides; devices; thermoelectric materials and devices - research and development; nanowires and oxides.

Sound knowledge of the latest research results in the thermodynamics and design of thermoelectric devices, providing a solid foundation for thermoelectric element and module design in the technical development process and thus serving as an indispensable tool for any application development. The text is aimed mainly at the project developer in the field of thermoelectric technology, both in academia and industry, as well as at graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Some core sections address the specialist in the field of thermoelectric energy conversion, providing detailed discussion of key points with regard to optimization. The international team of authors with experience in thermoelectrics research represents such institutes as EnsiCaen Universite de Paris, JPL, CalTech, and the German Aerospace Center.

Thermoelectricity and Advanced Thermoelectric Materials reviews emerging thermoelectric materials, including skutterudites, clathrates, and half-Heusler alloys. In addition, the book discusses a number of oxides and silicides that have promising thermoelectric properties. Because 2D materials with high figures of merit have emerged as promising candidates for thermoelectric applications, this book presents an updated introduction to the field of thermoelectric materials, including recent advances in materials synthesis, device modeling, and design. Finally, the book addresses the theoretical difficulties and methodologies of computing the thermoelectric properties of materials that can be used to understand and predict highly efficient thermoelectric materials. This book is a key reference for materials scientists, physicists, and engineers in energy. Reviews the most relevant, emerging thermoelectric materials, including 2D materials, skutterudites, clathrates and half-Heusler alloys Focuses on how electronic structure engineering can lead to improved materials performance for thermoelectric energy conversion applications Includes the latest advances in the synthesis, modeling and design of advanced thermoelectric materials