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Thermoelectric materials – Compromising between high efficiency and materials abundance
Author(s) -
Homm G.,
Klar P. J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
physica status solidi (rrl) – rapid research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.786
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1862-6270
pISSN - 1862-6254
DOI - 10.1002/pssr.201105084
Subject(s) - thermoelectric materials , thermoelectric effect , electricity , context (archaeology) , automotive industry , process engineering , thermoelectric generator , combustion , electricity generation , environmental science , computer science , field (mathematics) , thermoelectric cooling , photovoltaic system , mechanical engineering , engineering physics , electrical engineering , engineering , physics , power (physics) , aerospace engineering , chemistry , paleontology , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , biology , thermodynamics , mathematics , pure mathematics
In the context of CO 2 neutral and regenerative energy production, the field of thermoelectrics has shifted more and more into the focus of scientific research in the last few years. Particularly a lot of research projects were started in the field of energy autarkic sensor technology and the so called energy harvesting, i.e. the recycling of otherwise lost energy. A potentially huge industrial branch for thermoelectric applications is the automotive industry with a main emphasis on generating electricity out of the waste heat of combustion engines with the help of thermoelectric generators or using Peltier cooling to replace conventional air conditioning in the passenger compartment. In addition, many niche applications are possible, e.g. as sensors for measuring the air pressure of tires etc. The applications of thermoelectric devices are very versatile. We analyse the potential of the state‐of‐the‐art thermoelectric materials SiGe, PbTe, Bi 2 Te 3 , FeSi 2 and potentially ZnO with respect to employment in four types of applications, classified by mobile vs stationary and specialized vs. mass application. The selection criteria comprise efficiency, materials availability, costs, environmental friendliness and toxicity. Based on these criteria, a decision matrix for choosing the appropriate material system for a specific application is defined. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)