Abstract

The feasibility of improving the conversion efficiency of a thermoelectric converter by employing interfaces between materials exhibiting Fermi gas (FG) and Fermi liquid (FL) behaviour has been studied. Thermocouples consisting of a semiconductor and a strongly correlated material have been fabricated and the Peltier heat measured over the temperature range 15–330 K. A number of materials possessing different types of strong electron correlation have been synthesized including the heavy fermion compound YbAl3, manganite La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 and high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O7−δ. n- and p-Bi2Te3-based solid solutions as well as n-Bi0.85Sb0.15 solid solution have also been synthesized and used as materials exhibiting FG properties. Experimental measurements of the Peltier heat were compared to the results of calculations based on preliminary measured thermoelectric properties of materials and electrical contact resistance at the interfaces. The potential of employing FG/FL interfaces in thermoelectric energy conversion is discussed.

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