Abstract:
Thermoelectric (TE) materials can be used in the conversion of heat to electricity and vice versa, which can enhance the efficiency of the fuel, in addition to
supplying solid alternative energy in several applications in accumulating waste
heat and, as a result, help to find new energy sources. Considering the current
environment as well as the energy crisis, the TE modules are a need of the
future. The present review focuses on the new strategies and approaches to
achieve high-performance TE materials including materials improvement,
structures, and geometry improvement and their applications. Controlling the
carrier concentration and the band structures of materials is an effective way to
optimize the electrical transport properties, while engineered nanostructures
and engineering defects can immensely decrease the thermal conductivity and
significantly improved the power factor. The present review gives a better
understanding of how the theory is affecting the TE field.
This article is categorized under:
Electronic Structure Theory > Density Functional Theory
Structure and Mechanism > Computational Materials Science
