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Thermoelectrics are promising to address energy issues but their exploitationis still hampered by low efficiencies. So far, much improvement has beenachieved by reducing the thermal conductivity but less by maximizing the powerfactor. The latter imposes apparently conflicting requirements on the bandstructure: a narrow energy distribution and a low effective mass. Quantumconfinement in nanostructures or the introduction of resonant states weresuggested as possible solutions to this paradox but with limited success. Here,we propose an original approach to fulfill both requirements in bulksemiconductors. It exploits the highly-directional character of some orbitalsto engineer the band-structure and produce a type of low-dimensional transportsimilar to that targeted in nanostructures, while retaining isotropicproperties. Using first-principles calculations, the theoretical concept isdemonstrated in Fe$_2$YZ Heusler compounds, yielding power factors 4-5 timeslarger than in classical thermoelectrics at room temperature. Our findings aretotally generic and rationalize the search of alternative compounds with asimilar behavior. Beyond thermoelectricity, these might be relevant also in thecontext of electronic, superconducting or photovoltaic applications.

Low-Dimensional Transport and Large Thermoelectric Power Factors in Bulk Semiconductors by Band Engineering of Highly Directional Electronic States