Chapter 8 - New paradigm for efficient thermoelectrics

Abstract

Thermoelectric (TE) materials can convert heat into electricity based on Seebeck effect, and electric power to cooling based on Peltier effect. They are very useful for heat energy harvesting and cooling applications as green and sustainable energy resources. Thermoelectric studies can unravel intriguing thermal and electronic transport properties of the materials. The conversion efficiency, from heat into electricity, is strongly related to intrinsic electronic and thermal properties. The recent facile and novel synthesis technologies facilitate the investigation of new and highly efficient thermoelectric materials, such as nanostructured bulk synthesis, super lattice growth, novel two-dimensional (2D) materials growth and high-throughput guided synthesis. Consequently, evolving new designs for thermoelectric generators from conventional parallel stack toward flexible and wearable technologies. Recently, hybrid materials, inorganic–organic composites, 2D materials have shown exotic thermoelectric properties, which are helpful to design a flexible thermoelectric generator used in wearable electronic devices, and sensors to use in “Internet of Things” (IoT). In this chapter, recent progress and strategies in thermoelectric materials development and thermoelectric generator designs toward wearables, state-of-the-art of hybrid thermoelectric materials, and low-grade heat harvesting thermoelectric generators are discussed.