Observation of anomalous Ettingshausen effect and large transverse thermoelectric conductivity in permanent magnets

Abstract

This study focuses on the potential of permanent magnets as thermoelectric converters. It is found that a SmCo5-type magnet exhibits a large anomalous Ettingshausen effect (AEE) at room temperature and that its charge-to-heat current conversion coefficient is more than one order of magnitude greater than that of typical ferromagnetic metals. The large AEE is an exclusive feature of the SmCo5-type magnet among various permanent magnets in practical use, which is independent of the conventional performance of magnets based on static magnetic properties. The experimental results show that the large AEE originates from the intrinsic transverse thermoelectric conductivity of SmCo5. This finding makes a connection between permanent magnets and thermal energy engineering, providing the basis for creating “thermoelectric permanent magnets.”