Extension of Mott Formula in the Linearized Boltzmann Transport Equation to the Study of Thermoelectric Power of Electron in Metal

Abstract

The focus of this paper is to compute and study thermoelectric power of electron in metals using Mott formula based on free electron theory to get an insight on the effect of strain on electron thermoelectric power in metals. Electron density parameter of strained metals and Poisson ratio of metals is obtained and used in this work unlike some researchers that assumed a value for Poisson ratio of all metals. This assumption make the electron density parameter of strained and unstrained metals to be equal and then reduce the computation to only one input parameter. The experimental and simulated value are in good agreement. This agreement is due to the usefulness of free electron theory in theoretical forecast of some properties of metals. The Poisson ratio is involved in simulation. Result obtained revealed that thermoelectric power of electron in metals goes up as the electron density parameter rises due to high-order contributions from electron scattering theory. Electron thermoelectric power in metals increases as the temperature increases due to electron thermal excitation from their mean position. The electron thermoelectric power rises as strain rises for metals.