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Recent Advances in Thermoelectric Materials
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Recent Advances in Thermoelectric Materials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2019) | Viewed by 20284

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Andres Sotelo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Ciencia de Materials de Aragón (CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza), Made Luna 3, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: oxide materials for energy applications; thermoelectrics; superconductors; directional growth of oxide materials; laser texturing of oxide materials; ceramic materials processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, research on technologies leading to a reduction in fossil fuels consumption is encouraged by many national and international agencies. One of the main objectives is decreasing CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions through increasing green energy production. In this context, thermoelectric materials are playing an important roles, as they can harvest waste heat or solar radiation, and transform them into useful electric power, via the Seebeck effect. Most thermoelectric commercial devices are based on metallic alloys, with relatively high performances. On the other hand, their usual costs, scarcity, and limited working temperatures, drastically limit their application.

Consequently, the search for new and more efficient thermoelectric materials has been one of the most dynamic fields in the last few years. Furthermore, using these new materials for building devices, exploiting heat sources that are unattainable with current technology, is of main significance. For this objective, not only alloys or inorganic compounds, but also organic and composite materials can be considered. This Special Issue will focus in recent advances in thermoelectric materials and their integration in thermoelectric modules. Potential topics of interest include, but not limited to:

  • Bulk and nanostructured materials
  • Thin films
  • Intermetallics
  • Chalcogenides
  • Oxides
  • Silicides
  • Organic materials and polymers
  • Composites and nanocomposites
  • Flexible materials
  • Novel processing methods
  • Integration of new materials into modules
  • Advances in modules design

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, short communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Guest Editor

Dr. Andrés Sotelo

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Thermoelectric bulk materials;
  • Organic thermoelectric materials;
  • Inorganic thermoelectric materials;
  • Composite thermoelectric materials;
  • Nanostructured thermoelectric materials;
  • Thermoelectric modules design;
  • Thermoelectric modules assembling

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1500 KiB  
Article
Thermoelectric Properties of n-Type Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) Thin Film by Using a Simple Measurement Method
by Shakeel Ashraf, Viviane Forsberg, Claes G. Mattsson and Göran Thungström
Materials 2019, 12(21), 3521; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12213521 - 26 Oct 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3727
Abstract
In this paper, a micrometre thin film of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is characterized for thermoelectric properties. The sample was prepared through mechanical exfoliation of a molybdenite crystal. The Seebeck coefficient measurement was performed by generating a temperature gradient across the sample [...] Read more.
In this paper, a micrometre thin film of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is characterized for thermoelectric properties. The sample was prepared through mechanical exfoliation of a molybdenite crystal. The Seebeck coefficient measurement was performed by generating a temperature gradient across the sample and recording the induced electrical voltage, and for this purpose a simple measurement setup was developed. In the measurement, platinum was utilized as reference material in the electrodes. The Seebeck value of MoS2 was estimated to be approximately −600 µV/K at a temperature difference of 40 °C. The negative sign indicates that the polarity of the material is n-type. For measurement of the thermal conductivity, the sample was sandwiched between the heat source and the heat sink, and a steady-state power of 1.42 W was provided while monitoring the temperature difference across the sample. Based on Fourier’s law of conduction, the thermal conductivity of the sample was estimated to be approximately 0.26 Wm−1 K−. The electrical resistivity was estimated to be 29 Ω cm. The figure of merit of MoS2 was estimated to be 1.99 × 10−4. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thermoelectric Materials)
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11 pages, 5204 KiB  
Article
Exploring Tantalum as a Potential Dopant to Promote the Thermoelectric Performance of Zinc Oxide
by Blanca I. Arias-Serrano, Wenjie Xie, Myriam H. Aguirre, David M. Tobaldi, Artur R. Sarabando, Shahed Rasekh, Sergey M. Mikhalev, Jorge R. Frade, Anke Weidenkaff and Andrei V. Kovalevsky
Materials 2019, 12(13), 2057; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12132057 - 26 Jun 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3010
Abstract
Zinc oxide (ZnO) has being recognised as a potentially interesting thermoelectric material, allowing flexible tuning of the electrical properties by donor doping. This work focuses on the assessment of tantalum doping effects on the relevant structural, microstructural, optical and thermoelectric properties of ZnO. [...] Read more.
Zinc oxide (ZnO) has being recognised as a potentially interesting thermoelectric material, allowing flexible tuning of the electrical properties by donor doping. This work focuses on the assessment of tantalum doping effects on the relevant structural, microstructural, optical and thermoelectric properties of ZnO. Processing of the samples with a nominal composition Zn1−xTaxO by conventional solid-state route results in limited solubility of Ta in the wurtzite structure. Electronic doping is accompanied by the formation of other defects and dislocations as a compensation mechanism and simultaneous segregation of ZnTa2O6 at the grain boundaries. Highly defective structure and partial blocking of the grain boundaries suppress the electrical transport, while the evolution of Seebeck coefficient and band gap suggest that the charge carrier concentration continuously increases from x = 0 to 0.008. Thermal conductivity is almost not affected by the tantalum content. The highest ZT~0.07 at 1175 K observed for Zn0.998Ta0.002O is mainly provided by high Seebeck coefficient (−464 μV/K) along with a moderate electrical conductivity of ~13 S/cm. The results suggest that tantalum may represent a suitable dopant for thermoelectric zinc oxide, but this requires the application of specific processing methods and compositional design to enhance the solubility of Ta in wurtzite lattice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thermoelectric Materials)
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10 pages, 2729 KiB  
Article
Influence of Ag on the Properties of Ca0.9Yb0.1MnO3 Sintered Ceramics
by Andrés Sotelo, Miguel A. Torres, María A. Madre and Juan C. Diez
Materials 2018, 11(12), 2503; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11122503 - 09 Dec 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2350
Abstract
In this study, Ca0.9Yb0.1MnO3 + x wt.% Ag (with x = 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10) thermoelectric materials were prepared via the classical ceramic method. In spite of the very high sintering temperature (1300 °C), no significant [...] Read more.
In this study, Ca0.9Yb0.1MnO3 + x wt.% Ag (with x = 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10) thermoelectric materials were prepared via the classical ceramic method. In spite of the very high sintering temperature (1300 °C), no significant Ag losses were observed following this process. Moreover, Ag addition enhanced cation mobility during sintering due to the formation of a liquid phase. Microstructurally, it was found that Ag decreases porosity; this was confirmed by density measurements. Ag was also found to promote the formation of a Ca2Mn2O5 secondary phase. Despite the presence of this secondary phase, samples with Ag displayed lower electrical resistivity than Ag-free ones, without a drastic decrease in the absolute Seebeck coefficient. The highest thermoelectric performances, which were determined by power factor, were obtained in 1 wt.% Ag samples. These maximum values are slightly higher than the best of those reported in the literature for sintered materials with similar compositions, with the additional advantage of their being obtained using a much shorter sintering procedure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thermoelectric Materials)
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21 pages, 11005 KiB  
Article
Energy Harvesting from a Thermoelectric Zinc Antimonide Thin Film under Steady and Unsteady Operating Conditions
by Mojtaba Mirhosseini, Alireza Rezania, Bo Iversen and Lasse Rosendahl
Materials 2018, 11(12), 2365; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11122365 - 24 Nov 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2552
Abstract
In practice, there are some considerations to study stability, reliability, and output power optimization of a thermoelectric thin film operating dynamically. In this study stability and performance of a zinc antimonide thin film thermoelectric (TE) specimen is evaluated under transient with thermal and [...] Read more.
In practice, there are some considerations to study stability, reliability, and output power optimization of a thermoelectric thin film operating dynamically. In this study stability and performance of a zinc antimonide thin film thermoelectric (TE) specimen is evaluated under transient with thermal and electrical load conditions. Thermoelectric behavior of the specimen and captured energy in each part of a thermal cycle are investigated. Glass is used as the substrate of the thin film, where the heat flow is parallel to the length of the thermoelectric element. In this work, the thermoelectric specimen is fixed between a heat sink exposed to the ambient temperature and a heater block. The specimen is tested under various electrical load cycles during a wide range of thermal cycles. The thermal cycles are provided for five different aimed temperatures at the hot junction, from 160 to 350 °C. The results show that the specimen generates approximately 30% of its total electrical energy during the cooling stage and 70% during the heating stage. The thin film generates maximum power of 8.78, 15.73, 27.81, 42.13, and 60.74 kW per unit volume of the thermoelectric material (kW/m3), excluding the substrate, corresponding to hot side temperature of 160, 200, 250, 300, and 350 °C, respectively. Furthermore, the results indicate that the thin film has high reliability after about one thousand thermal and electrical cycles, whereas there is no performance degradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thermoelectric Materials)
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13 pages, 3312 KiB  
Article
Effects of Pr and Yb Dual Doping on the Thermoelectric Properties of CaMnO3
by Cuiqin Li, Qianlin Chen and Yunan Yan
Materials 2018, 11(10), 1807; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11101807 - 23 Sep 2018
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3946
Abstract
There has been research on CaMnO3 with natural abundance, low toxicity, and low cost as promising candidates for n-type thermoelectric (TE) materials. In this paper, Ca1−2xPrxYbxMnO3 with different Pr and Yb contents (x = 0, [...] Read more.
There has been research on CaMnO3 with natural abundance, low toxicity, and low cost as promising candidates for n-type thermoelectric (TE) materials. In this paper, Ca1−2xPrxYbxMnO3 with different Pr and Yb contents (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05) were synthesized by means of coprecipitation. With X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), researchers characterized the phase structure and morphology of all the samples. The oxidation states of manganese were determined by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The role of Ca-site dual doping in the TE properties was also investigated. Increasing the Pr and Yb contents leads to decreases in the electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient, leading to a power factor of 3.48 × 10−4 W·m−1·K−2 for x = 0.04 at 773 K, which is its maximum. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity (κ) decreases with increasing x, and κ = 1.26 W·m−1·K−1 is obtained for x = 0.04 at 973 K. Ca0.92Pr0.04Yb0.04MnO3 exhibit a ZT (thermoelectric figure of merit) value of 0.24 at 973 K, approximately 3 times more than that of the pristine CaMnO3. Thus, the reported method is a new strategy to enhance the TE performance of CaMnO3. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thermoelectric Materials)
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17 pages, 3648 KiB  
Article
Testing and Optimizing a Stove-Powered Thermoelectric Generator with Fan Cooling
by Youqu Zheng, Jiangen Hu, Guoneng Li, Lingyun Zhu and Wenwen Guo
Materials 2018, 11(6), 966; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11060966 - 07 Jun 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4023
Abstract
In order to provide heat and electricity under emergency conditions in off-grid areas, a stove-powered thermoelectric generator (STEG) was designed and optimized. No battery was incorporated, ensuring it would work anytime, anywhere, as long as combustible materials were provided. The startup performance, power [...] Read more.
In order to provide heat and electricity under emergency conditions in off-grid areas, a stove-powered thermoelectric generator (STEG) was designed and optimized. No battery was incorporated, ensuring it would work anytime, anywhere, as long as combustible materials were provided. The startup performance, power load feature and thermoelectric (TE) efficiency were investigated in detail. Furthermore, the heat-conducting plate thickness, cooling fan selection, heat sink dimension and TE module configuration were optimized. The heat flow method was employed to determine the TE efficiency, which was compared to the predicted data. Results showed that the STEG can supply clean-and-warm air (625 W) and electricity (8.25 W at 5 V) continuously at a temperature difference of 148 °C, and the corresponding TE efficiency was measured to be 2.31%. Optimization showed that the choice of heat-conducting plate thickness, heat sink dimensions and cooling fan were inter-dependent, and the TE module configuration affected both the startup process and the power output. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thermoelectric Materials)
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