Maxwell–Garnett model for thermoelectric materials

Abstract

The paper studies the problem of an extended thermoelectric spheroid placed in a thermoelectric matrix. The external electric field is assumed to be uniform. Despite the nonlinear nature of the equations, the solution of the problem can be found as a sum of Legendre functions and polynomials. The solution obtained is used to find the effective values of electrical and thermal conductivities, as well as the thermopower for a composite medium consisting of a set of randomly located spheroids. As an example of the model application, we consider a composite consisting of spheroidal inclusions MgAg0.97Sb0.99 placed in a matrix of Bi2Te3.