Energy Harvesting Materials: Overview of Thermoelectrical Material

Abstract

In this article, an overview of thermoelectric materials is presented. Thermoelectric materials can be classified under energy harvesting/conversion materials for renewable and environmentally conscious applications. These materials exhibit thermoelectric effect, which is the direct conversion thermal energy (manifest as a temperature difference) to electrical current and vice versa. The thermoelectric effect comprises of three separate effects: The Seebeck effect, the Peltier effect, and the Thomson effect. A discussion concerning the interaction of these effects and a theoretical background on the thermoelectric materials is reported. An investigation of inorganic, organic and hybrid materials for thermoelectric applications is also presented. Moreover, the applications involving the thermoelectric effect such as thermoelectric generation and thermoelectric cooling are discussed. In regard to the thermoelectrical materials, inorganic-organic hybrids show the best performance as they conjoin the benefits of the organic and inorganic thermoelectrical materials.