Understanding Thermoelectrics Through Carrier and Phonon Transport

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 13-15
Author(s):  
Kyung Tae KIM
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Solid State ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
State Energy ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Phonon Transport ◽  
Peltier Effect ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Technological Research ◽  
Active Cooling

Solid state energy conversion using thermoelectric (TE) phenomena has attracted great interest in power generation by using waste heat and active cooling/heating from electricity. Since first observation of the Seebeck and Peltier effect in the early 1820s, the TE phenomena has been applied in limited fields due to difficulties during the last two centuries in controling performance, which is related to both the carrier and the phonon transport behaviors. This article briefly introduces not only technological research issues for universal use of thermoelectrics but also the latest strategy for applications from the viewpoint of materials.

Heat Transfer in Nanostructures for Solid-State Energy Conversion

2001 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Chen ◽  
A. Shakouri
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Solid State ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
State Energy ◽  
Energy Transport ◽  
Quantum Wires ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Phonon Transport ◽  
Device Development ◽  
Conversion Technologies

Solid-state energy conversion technologies such as thermoelectric and thermionic refrigeration and power generation require materials with low thermal conductivity but good electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, which are difficult to realize in bulk semiconductors. Nanostructures such as superlattices, quantum wires, and quantum dots provide alternative approaches to improve the solid-state energy conversion efficiency through size and interface effects on the electron and phonon transport. In this review, we discuss recent research and progress using nanostructures for solid-state energy conversion. The emphasis is placed on fundamental issues that distinguish energy transport and conversion between nanoscale and macroscale, as well as heat transfer issues related to device development and property characterization.

Solid-State and Vacuum Thermionic Energy Conversion

2005 ◽  
Vol 886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Shakouri ◽  
Z. Bian ◽  
R. Singh ◽  
Y. Zhang ◽  
D. Vashaee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Power Generation ◽  
Solid State ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Thermionic Emission ◽  
Hot Electron ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Solid State Devices ◽  
Thermionic Energy Conversion ◽  
Thermionic Energy

ABSTRACTA brief overview of the research activities at the Thermionic Energy Conversion (TEC) Center is given. The goal is to achieve direct thermal to electric energy conversion with >20% efficiency and >1W/cm2 power density at a hot side temperature of 300–650C. Thermionic emission in both vacuum and solid-state devices is investigated. In the case of solid-state devices, hot electron filtering using heterostructure barriers is used to increase the thermoelectric power factor. In order to study electron transport above the barriers and lateral momentum conservation in thermionic emission process, the current-voltage characteristic of ballistic transistor structures is investigated. Embedded ErAs nanoparticles and metal/semiconductor multilayers are used to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. Cross-plane thermoelectric properties and the effective ZT of the thin film are analyzed using the transient Harman technique. Integrated circuit fabrication techniques are used to transfer the n- and p-type thin films on AlN substrates and make power generation modules with hundreds of thin film elements. For vacuum devices, nitrogen-doped diamond and carbon nanotubes are studied for emitters. Sb-doped highly oriented diamond and low electron affinity AlGaN are investigated for collectors. Work functions below 1.6eV and vacuum thermionic power generation at temperatures below 700C have been demonstrated.

scholarly journals Solid State Energy Conversion Energy Alliance (SECA)

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hennessy ◽  
Rodica Sibisan ◽  
Mike Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Solid State ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
State Energy

scholarly journals Solid State Energy Conversion Energy Alliance (SECA)

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hennessy ◽  
◽  
Rodica Sibisan ◽  
Mike Rasmussen ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solid State ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
State Energy

Thermal Transport in Nanostructured Solid-State Cooling Devices

2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deyu Li ◽  
Scott T. Huxtable ◽  
Alexis R. Abramson ◽  
Arun Majumdar
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Solid State ◽  
Nanostructured Materials ◽  
Thermal Transport ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Phonon Transport ◽  
Peltier Effect ◽  
Cooling Devices ◽  
Low Dimensional ◽  
Solid State Cooling

Low-dimensional nanostructured materials are promising candidates for high efficiency solid-state cooling devices based on the Peltier effect. Thermal transport in these low-dimensional materials is a key factor for device performance since the thermoelectric figure of merit is inversely proportional to thermal conductivity. Therefore, understanding thermal transport in nanostructured materials is crucial for engineering high performance devices. Thermal transport in semiconductors is dominated by lattice vibrations called phonons, and phonon transport is often markedly different in nanostructures than it is in bulk materials for a number of reasons. First, as the size of a structure decreases, its surface area to volume ratio increases, thereby increasing the importance of boundaries and interfaces. Additionally, at the nanoscale the characteristic length of the structure approaches the phonon wavelength, and other interesting phenomena such as dispersion relation modification and quantum confinement may arise and further alter the thermal transport. In this paper we discuss phonon transport in semiconductor superlattices and nanowires with regards to applications in solid-state cooling devices. Systematic studies on periodic multilayers called superlattices disclose the relative importance of acoustic impedance mismatch, alloy scattering, and crystalline imperfections at the interfaces. Thermal conductivity measurements of mono-crystalline silicon nanowires of different diameters reveal the strong effects of phonon-boundary scattering. Experimental results for Si/SiGe superlattice nanowires indicate that different phonon scattering mechanisms may disrupt phonon transport at different frequencies. These experimental studies provide insight regarding the dominant mechanisms for phonon transport in nanostructures. Finally, we also briefly discuss Peltier coolers made from nanostructured materials that have shown promising cooling performance.

Micro-solid state energy conversion membranes: influence of doping and strain on oxygen ion transport and near order for electrolytes

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 3900-3908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanuo Shi ◽  
Iñigo Garbayo ◽  
Paul Muralt ◽  
Jennifer Lilia Marguerite Rupp
Keyword(s):  
Solid State ◽  
Ion Transport ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Solid Solutions ◽  
State Energy ◽  
Free Standing ◽  
Ceria Solid Solutions ◽  
Oxygen Ion ◽  
Oxygen Ion Conductors ◽  
Ion Conductors

Electro-chemo-mechanics interactions in oxygen ion conductors are probed for variations of strain and extrinsic doping concentrations in free-standing micro-energy conversion membranes based on ceria solid solutions.

scholarly journals Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance Delphi SOFC

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Shaffer ◽  
Sean Kelly ◽  
Larry Chick ◽  
Subhasish Mukerjee ◽  
David Schumann
Keyword(s):  
Solid State ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
State Energy
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