The Physics Of Thermoelectric Energy Conversion

This book outlines the principles of thermoelectric generation and refrigeration from the discovery of the Seebeck and Peltier effects in the nineteenth century through the introduction of semiconductor thermoelements in the mid-twentieth century to the more recent development of nanostructured materials. It is shown that the efficiency of a thermoelectric generator and the coefficient of performance of a thermoelectric refrigerator can be related to a quantity known as the figure of merit. The figure of merit depends on the Seebeck coefficient and the ratio of the electrical to thermal conductivity. It is shown that expressions for these parameters can be derived from the band theory of solids. The conditions for favourable electronic properties are discussed. The methods for selecting materials with a low lattice thermal conductivity are outlined and the ways in which the scattering of phonons can be enhanced are described. The application of these principles is demonstrated for specific materials including the bismuth telluride alloys, bismuth antimony, alloys based on lead telluride, silicon-germanium and materials described as phonon-glass electron-crystals. It is shown that there can be advantages in using the less familiar transverse thermoelectric effects and the transverse thermomagnetic effects. Finally, practical aspects of thermoelectric generation and refrigeration are discussed. The book is aimed at readers who do not have a specialised knowledge of solid state physics.

Thermoelectric Energy Conversion: Theories and Mechanisms, Materials, Devices, and Applications provides readers with foundational knowledge on key aspects of thermoelectric conversion and reviews future prospects. Sections cover the basic theories and mechanisms of thermoelectric physics, the chemical and physical aspects of classical to brand-new materials, measurement techniques of thermoelectric conversion properties from the materials to modules and current research, including the physics, crystallography and chemistry aspects of processing to produce thermoelectric devices. Finally, the book discusses thermoelectric conversion applications, including cooling, generation, energy harvesting, space, sensor and other emerging areas of applications. Reviews key applications of thermoelectric energy conversion, including cooling, power generation, energy harvesting, and applications for space and sensing Discusses a wide range of materials, including skutterudites, heusler materials, chalcogenides, oxides, low dimensional materials, and organic materials Provides the fundamentals of thermoelectric energy conversion, including the physics, phonon conduction, electronic correlation, magneto-seebeck theories, topological insulators and thermionics

The latest volume in the well-established AMN series, this ready reference provides an up-to-date, self-contained summary of recent developments in the technologies and systems for thermoelectricity. Following an initial chapter that introduces the fundamentals and principles of thermoelectricity, subsequent chapters discuss the synthesis and integration of various bulk thermoelectric as well as nanostructured materials. The book then goes on to discuss characterization techniques, including various light and mechanic microscopy techniques, while also summarizing applications for thermoelectric materials, such as micro- and nano-thermoelectric generators, wearable electronics and energy conversion devices. The result is a bridge between industry and scientific researchers seeking to develop thermoelectric generators.

This book outlines the principles of thermoelectric generation and refrigeration from the discovery of the Seebeck and Peltier effects in the nineteenth century through the introduction of semiconductor thermoelements in the mid-twentieth century to the more recent development of nanostructured materials. It is shown that the efficiency of a thermoelectric generator and the coefficient of performance of a thermoelectric refrigerator can be related to a quantity known as the figure of merit. The figure of merit depends on the Seebeck coefficient and the ratio of the electrical to thermal conductivity. It is shown that expressions for these parameters can be derived from the band theory of solids. The conditions for favourable electronic properties are discussed. The methods for selecting materials with a low lattice thermal conductivity are outlined and the ways in which the scattering of phonons can be enhanced are described. The application of these principles is demonstrated for specific materials including the bismuth telluride alloys, bismuth antimony, alloys based on lead telluride, silicon-germanium and materials described as phonon-glass electron-crystals. It is shown that there can be advantages in using the less familiar transverse thermoelectric effects and the transverse thermomagnetic effects. Finally, practical aspects of thermoelectric generation and refrigeration are discussed. The book is aimed at readers who do not have a specialised knowledge of solid state physics.

This unique compendium emphasizes key factors driving the performance of thermoelectric energy conversion systems. Important design parameters such as heat transfer at the boundaries of the system, material properties, and form factors are carefully analyzed and optimized for performance including the cost-performance trade-off. Numbers of examples are provided on the applications of thermoelectric technologies, e.g., power generation, cooling of electronic components, and waste heat recovery in wearable devices.This must-have volume also includes an interactive modeling software package developed on the nanoHUB (https://nanohub.org/) platform. Professionals, researchers, academics, undergraduate and graduate students will be able to study the impact of material properties and key design parameters on the overall thermoelectric system performance as well as the large scale implementation in the society.

Introduction to Thermoelectricity is the latest work by Professor Julian Goldsmid drawing on his 55 years experience in the field. The theory of the thermoelectric and related phenomena is presented in sufficient detail to enable researchers to understand their observations and develop improved thermoelectric materials. The methods for the selection of materials and their improvement are discussed. Thermoelectric materials for use in refrigeration and electrical generation are reviewed. Experimental techniques for the measurement of properties and for the production of thermoelements are described. Special emphasis is placed on nanotechnology which promises to yield great improvements in the efficiency of thermoelectric devices. Chapters are also devoted to transverse thermoelectric effects and thermionic energy conversion, both techniques offering the promise of important applications in the future.

Two-dimensional materials have had widespread applications in nanoelectronics, catalysis, gas capture, water purification, energy storage and conversion. Initially based around graphene, research has since moved on to looking at alternatives, including transitions metal dichalcogenides, layered topological insulators, metallic mono-chalcogenides, borocarbonitrides and phosphorene. This book provides a review of research in the field of these materials, including investigation into their defects, analysis on hybrid structures focusing on their properties and synthesis, and characterization and applications of 2D materials beyond graphene. It is designed to be a single-point reference for students, teachers and researchers of chemistry and its related subjects, particularly in the field of nanomaterials. Contents: Transition Metal Dichalcogenides and Other Layered Materials (Manoj K Jana and C N R Rao)Topological Valleytronics (Motohiko Ezawa)Two-Dimensional, Layered Materials as Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction (Debdyuti Mukherjee and S Sampath)Phosphorene (Arpita Paul and Umesh V Waghmare)2D van der Waals Hybrid: Structures, Properties and Devices (Md Ali Aamir, Tanweer Ahmed, Kimberly Hsieh, Saurav Islam, Paritosh Karnatak, Ranjit Kashid, Phanibhusan Singha Mahapatra, Jayanta Mishra, Tathagata Paul, Avradip Pradhan, Kallol Roy, Anindita Sahoo and Arindam Ghosh)Thermoelectric Energy Conversion in Layered Metal Chalcogenides (Satya N Guin, Ananya Banik and Kanishka Biswas)Plasma Chemical and Physical Vapour Deposition Methods and Diagnostics for 2D Materials (Majed A. Alrefae, Nicholas R Glavin, Andrey A Voevodin and Timothy S Fisher)Metal Contacts to MOS2 (Naveen Kaushik, Sameer Grover, Mandar M Deshmukh and Saurabh Lodha)Strain Dependent Properties of 2D MX2 (M = Mo and W; X = S, Se and Te) (Tribhuwan Pandey, Swastibrata Bhattacharyya and Abhishek K Singh)Point Defects, Grain Boundaries and Planar Faults in 2D h-BN and TMX2 Theory and Simulations (Anjali Singh and Umesh V Waghmare) Readership: Students, teachers and researchers of chemistry and its related subjects, particularly in the field of nanomaterials. Keywords:2D Materials;Borocarbonitrides;Phosphorene;Graphene;Catalysis;Nanomaterials;Gas Capture;Water Purification;Dichalcogenides;Topological Insulators;Mono-chalcogenidesReview:0