Physical Intuition to Improve Electronic Properties of Thermoelectrics
Thermoelectrics convert heat to electricity and vice versa. They are of technological importance in cooling and energy harvesting. Their performances are defined by figure of merit, zT. Decades of studies have largely focused on the development of novel and advanced materials reaching higher perform...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-11-01
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Series: | Frontiers in Physics |
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Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2021.755597/full |
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author | Wei Yang Samuel Lim Danwei Zhang Solco Samantha Faye Duran Xian Yi Tan Chee Kiang Ivan Tan Jianwei Xu Ady Suwardi Ady Suwardi |
author_facet | Wei Yang Samuel Lim Danwei Zhang Solco Samantha Faye Duran Xian Yi Tan Chee Kiang Ivan Tan Jianwei Xu Ady Suwardi Ady Suwardi |
author_sort | Wei Yang Samuel Lim |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Thermoelectrics convert heat to electricity and vice versa. They are of technological importance in cooling and energy harvesting. Their performances are defined by figure of merit, zT. Decades of studies have largely focused on the development of novel and advanced materials reaching higher performance in devices. To date, the lack of sufficiently high-performance thermoelectrics, especially among Earth-abundant and lightweight materials, is one of the reasons why there is no broad commercial application of thermoelectric devices yet. This challenge is due to the complex correlations of parameters that make up the zT. Theoretical estimation can reveal the optimal charge carrier concentration, which can provide a good idea of doping compositions. Depending on the material characteristics, decoupling these intercorrelated parameters could be viable. Broadly speaking, increasing carrier mobility, inducing a large fluctuation in density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level, and lowering the lattice thermal conductivity lead to better thermoelectric performance. In this mini review, we provide a broad picture of electronic property optimization for thermoelectric materials. This work will be a useful guide to quickly take readers to the forefront of thermoelectric research. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-17T12:36:59Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-652b974f2a874e108e761103755a58e4 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2296-424X |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-17T12:36:59Z |
publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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series | Frontiers in Physics |
spelling | doaj.art-652b974f2a874e108e761103755a58e42022-12-21T21:48:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physics2296-424X2021-11-01910.3389/fphy.2021.755597755597Physical Intuition to Improve Electronic Properties of ThermoelectricsWei Yang Samuel Lim0Danwei Zhang1Solco Samantha Faye Duran2Xian Yi Tan3Chee Kiang Ivan Tan4Jianwei Xu5Ady Suwardi6Ady Suwardi7Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, SingaporeInstitute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, SingaporeInstitute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, SingaporeInstitute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, SingaporeInstitute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, SingaporeInstitute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, SingaporeInstitute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeThermoelectrics convert heat to electricity and vice versa. They are of technological importance in cooling and energy harvesting. Their performances are defined by figure of merit, zT. Decades of studies have largely focused on the development of novel and advanced materials reaching higher performance in devices. To date, the lack of sufficiently high-performance thermoelectrics, especially among Earth-abundant and lightweight materials, is one of the reasons why there is no broad commercial application of thermoelectric devices yet. This challenge is due to the complex correlations of parameters that make up the zT. Theoretical estimation can reveal the optimal charge carrier concentration, which can provide a good idea of doping compositions. Depending on the material characteristics, decoupling these intercorrelated parameters could be viable. Broadly speaking, increasing carrier mobility, inducing a large fluctuation in density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level, and lowering the lattice thermal conductivity lead to better thermoelectric performance. In this mini review, we provide a broad picture of electronic property optimization for thermoelectric materials. This work will be a useful guide to quickly take readers to the forefront of thermoelectric research.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2021.755597/fullthermoelectricsthermal transportelectronic transportsemiconductorenergy harvesting |
spellingShingle | Wei Yang Samuel Lim Danwei Zhang Solco Samantha Faye Duran Xian Yi Tan Chee Kiang Ivan Tan Jianwei Xu Ady Suwardi Ady Suwardi Physical Intuition to Improve Electronic Properties of Thermoelectrics Frontiers in Physics thermoelectrics thermal transport electronic transport semiconductor energy harvesting |
title | Physical Intuition to Improve Electronic Properties of Thermoelectrics |
title_full | Physical Intuition to Improve Electronic Properties of Thermoelectrics |
title_fullStr | Physical Intuition to Improve Electronic Properties of Thermoelectrics |
title_full_unstemmed | Physical Intuition to Improve Electronic Properties of Thermoelectrics |
title_short | Physical Intuition to Improve Electronic Properties of Thermoelectrics |
title_sort | physical intuition to improve electronic properties of thermoelectrics |
topic | thermoelectrics thermal transport electronic transport semiconductor energy harvesting |
url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2021.755597/full |
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