Materials Aspect of Thermoelectricity

This book is comprised of chapters dedicated to each family of thermoelectric materials prepared by the leading authorities in the field. It provides an account of the development of materials that are viewed as the most promising for applications as thermoelectric power generators or thermoelectric coolers. The advantages and shortcomings of novel thermoelectrical materials are discussed, and the reader is informed on the materials aspects of each family of thermoelectric materials: their synthesis, structural properties, thermoelectric parameters, and potential applications.

In recent years, novel families of materials have been discovered and significant improvements in classical thermoelectric materials have been made. Thermoelectric generators are now being used to harvest industrial heat waste and convert it into electricity. This is being utilized in communal incinerators, large smelters, and cement plants. Leading car and truck companies are developing thermoelectric power generators to collect heat from the exhaust systems of gasoline and diesel engines. Additionally, thermoelectric coolers are being used in a variety of picnic boxes, vessels used to transport transplant organs, and in air-conditioned seats of mid-size cars. Consisting of twenty-one chapters written by top researchers in the field, this book explores the major advancements being made in the material aspects of thermoelectricity and provides a critical assessment in regards to the broadening of application opportunities for thermoelectric energy conversion.