Thermoelectric power generators have attracted increasing interest in recent years owing to their great potential in wearable electronics power supply.It is noted that thermoelectric power generators are easy to damag...Thermoelectric power generators have attracted increasing interest in recent years owing to their great potential in wearable electronics power supply.It is noted that thermoelectric power generators are easy to damage in the dynamic service process,resulting in the formation of microcracks and performance degradation.Herein,we prepare a new hybrid hydrogel thermoelectric material PAAc/XG/Bi_(2)Se_(0.3)Te_(2.7)by an in situ polymerization method,which shows a high stretchable and self-healable performance,as well as a good thermoelectric performance.For the sample with Bi_(2)Se_(0.3)Te_(2.7)content of 1.5 wt%(i.e.,PAAc/XG/Bi2Se0.3Te27(1.5 wt%)),which has a room temperature Seebeck coefficient of-0.45 mV K^(-1),and exhibits an open-circuit voltage of-17.91 mV and output power of 38.1 nW at a temperature difference of 40 K.After being completely cut off,the hybrid thermoelectric hydrogel automatically recovers its electrical characteristics within a response time of 2.0 s,and the healed hydrogel remains more than 99%of its initial power output.Such stretchable and self-healable hybrid hydrogel thermoelectric materials show promising potential for application in dynamic service conditions,such as wearable electronics.展开更多
Thermoelectric generators have attracted a wide research interest owing to their ability to directly convert heat into electrical power.Moreover,the thermoelectric properties of traditional inorganic and organic mater...Thermoelectric generators have attracted a wide research interest owing to their ability to directly convert heat into electrical power.Moreover,the thermoelectric properties of traditional inorganic and organic materials have been significantly improved over the past few decades.Among these compounds,layered two-dimensional(2D)materials,such as graphene,black phosphorus,transition metal dichalcogenides,IVA–VIA compounds,and MXenes,have generated a large research attention as a group of potentially high-performance thermoelectric materials.Due to their unique electronic,mechanical,thermal,and optoelectronic properties,thermoelectric devices based on such materials can be applied in a variety of applications.Herein,a comprehensive review on the development of 2D materials for thermoelectric applications,as well as theoretical simulations and experimental preparation,is presented.In addition,nanodevice and new applications of 2D thermoelectric materials are also introduced.At last,current challenges are discussed and several prospects in this field are proposed.展开更多
Electronic structures, which play a key role in determining electrical and optical properties of π-conjugated organic materials, have attracted tremendous interest. Efficient thermoelectric (TE) conversion of organic...Electronic structures, which play a key role in determining electrical and optical properties of π-conjugated organic materials, have attracted tremendous interest. Efficient thermoelectric (TE) conversion of organic materials has rigorous requirements on electronic structures. Recently, the rational design and precise modulation of electronic structures have exhibited great potential in exploring state-of-the-art organic TE materials. This review focuses on the regulation of electronic structures of organic materials toward efficient TE conversion. First, we present the basic knowledge regarding electronic structures and the requirements for efficient TE conversion of organic materials, followed by a brief introduction of commonly used methods for electronic structure characterization. Next, we highlight the key strategies of electronic structure engineering for high-performance organic TE materials. Finally, an overview of the electronic structure engineering of organic TE materials, along with current challenges and future research directions, are provided.展开更多
In order to obtain thermoelectric materials with high figure of merit, theconcept of Hollow (Vacuum) Quantum Structure or Effect and related thermoelectric materials designwere proposed. To demonstrate the theory, the...In order to obtain thermoelectric materials with high figure of merit, theconcept of Hollow (Vacuum) Quantum Structure or Effect and related thermoelectric materials designwere proposed. To demonstrate the theory, the materials of (Bi_(0.15)Sb_(0.85))_2Te_3 with porousstructure have been fabricated. Their thermoelectric properties and the microstructure wereinvestigated and compared with their density structure. It was found that the porous structure couldimprove their properties greatly.展开更多
Thermoelectricity is a strong scientific and technological interest due to its wide application ranging from clean energy producing to photon sensing devices.Recent developments in theoretical studies on the thermoele...Thermoelectricity is a strong scientific and technological interest due to its wide application ranging from clean energy producing to photon sensing devices.Recent developments in theoretical studies on the thermoelectric(TE)effects as well as the newly discovered thermoelectric materials provide new opportunities for several applications.Though the scale of production is limited,thermoelectric technology provides an alternative to traditional methods of power generation,heating and cooling systems.TE technologies can be used in power generation,heating and cooling applications.They potentially offer significant energy savings through waste heat recovery and augmented cooling.This article critically discusses the current progress in chalcogenide TE materials and the advantages and limitations associated with the TE technologies.The need for new materials discoveries from the point of view of achieving higher figure-of-merit combined with thermal stabilities in intermediate-and hightemperature Peltier and Seebeck effects applications is also emphasized.Besides,this article aims to evaluate the main features of recently characterized multicomponent chalcogenide ionic compounds with high thermal stabilities as potential TE materials to harvest electric power from high-temperature heat flux via thermoelectricity.展开更多
In order to investigate the adaptability of thermoelectric materials system with different barriers to functional graded thermoelectric materials, n-type Bi2Te, and PbTe two segments graded thermoelectric materials (G...In order to investigate the adaptability of thermoelectric materials system with different barriers to functional graded thermoelectric materials, n-type Bi2Te, and PbTe two segments graded thermoelectric materials (GTM) with different barriers were fabricated by conventional hot pressing method. Metals Cu, Al, Fe, Co and Ni were used as barriers between two segments. The effects of different barriers on thermoelectric properties of GTM were investigated. The phase and crystal structures were determined by x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The distributions of different compositions were analyzed by electron microprobe analysis (EMA). The thermoelectric properties were measured at 303 K along the direction parallel to the pressing direction. The electric conductivity of samples was measured at 303 K by the four-probe technique. To measure the Seebeck coefficient, heat was applied to the samples, which were placed between two Cu discs. The thermoelectric electromotive force (E) was measured upon applying small temperature differences (DeltaT<275 K) between the both ends of the samples. The Seebeck coefficient of the samples was determined from the E/&UDelta;T.展开更多
In order to find more suitable materials as barriers and to improve the thermoelectric properties, p-type (Bi1-xSbx) 2Te3 (x = 0.85, 0.9) two segments compositionally graded thermoelectric materials (CGTM) with differ...In order to find more suitable materials as barriers and to improve the thermoelectric properties, p-type (Bi1-xSbx) 2Te3 (x = 0.85, 0.9) two segments compositionally graded thermoelectric materials (CGTM) with different barriers were fabricated by conventional hot pressure method. Metals Fe, Co, Cu and Al were used as barriers between two segments. The effects of different barriers on thermoelectric properties of CGTM were investigated. The results show that metal Fe is more stable and suitable as the barrier.展开更多
The contact problem for thermoelectric materials with functionally graded properties is considered.The material properties,such as the electric conductivity,the thermal conductivity,the shear modulus,and the thermal e...The contact problem for thermoelectric materials with functionally graded properties is considered.The material properties,such as the electric conductivity,the thermal conductivity,the shear modulus,and the thermal expansion coefficient,vary in an exponential function.Using the Fourier transform technique,the electro-thermoelastic problems are transformed into three sets of singular integral equations which are solved numerically in terms of the unknown normal electric current density,the normal energy flux,and the contact pressure.Meanwhile,the complex homogeneous solutions of the displacement fields caused by the gradient parameters are simplified with the help of Euler’s formula.After addressing the non-linearity excited by thermoelectric effects,the particular solutions of the displacement fields can be assessed.The effects of various combinations of material gradient parameters and thermoelectric loads on the contact behaviors of thermoelectric materials are presented.The results give a deep insight into the contact damage mechanism of functionally graded thermoelectric materials(FGTEMs).展开更多
In order to improve the thermoelectric properties, hot-pressing sintering andultra high pressure sintering methods were adopted to fabricate BiSb_x. The phase and crystalstructures were determined by X-ray diffraction...In order to improve the thermoelectric properties, hot-pressing sintering andultra high pressure sintering methods were adopted to fabricate BiSb_x. The phase and crystalstructures were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The thermoelectric properties weremeasured at 303 K along the direction parallel to the pressing direction. The electric conductivityof the samples was measured at 303 K by the four-probe technique. To measure the Seebeckcoefficient, heat was applied to the samples placed between two Cu discs. The thermoelectricelectromotive force (E) was measured upon applying small temperature differences (DELTA T<2 deg C)between the both ends of the samples. The Seebeck coefficient of the samples was determined from thevalue of E/DELTA T. The results indicate that the thermoelectric properties of the samplesfabricated by UHPS (ultra high pressure sintering) method are much higher than that by HPS (hotpressing sintering) method and have the highest values at x=0.7.展开更多
Since the superior mechanical,chemical and physical properties of high-entropy alloys(HEAs)were discovered,they have gradually become new emerging candidates for renewable energy applications.This review presents the ...Since the superior mechanical,chemical and physical properties of high-entropy alloys(HEAs)were discovered,they have gradually become new emerging candidates for renewable energy applications.This review presents the novel applications of HEAs in thermoelectric energy conversion.Firstly,the basic concepts and structural properties of HEAs are introduced.Then,we discuss a number of promising thermoelectric materials based on HEAs.Finally,the conclusion and outlook are presented.This article presents an advanced understanding of the thermoelectric properties of HEAs,which provides new opportunities for promoting their applications in renewable energy.展开更多
Based on Peltier effect,Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based alloy is widely used in commercial solid-state refrigeration at room temperature.The mainstream strategies for enhancing room-temperature thermoelectric performance in Bi_(2)...Based on Peltier effect,Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based alloy is widely used in commercial solid-state refrigeration at room temperature.The mainstream strategies for enhancing room-temperature thermoelectric performance in Bi_(2)Te_(3)focus on band and microstructure engineering.However,a clear understanding of the modulation of band structure and scattering through such engineering remains still challenging,because the minority carriers compensate partially the overall transport properties for the narrow-gap Bi_(2)Te_(3)at room temperature(known as the bipolar effect).The purpose of this work is to model the transport properties near and far away from the bipolar effect region for Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based thermoelectric material by a two-band model taking contributions of both majority and minority carriers into account.This is endowed by shifting the Fermi level from the conduction band to the valence band during the modeling.A large amount of data of Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based materials is collected from various studies for the comparison between experimental and predicted properties.The fundamental parameters,such as the density of states effective masses and deformation potential coefficients,of Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based materials are quantified.The analysis can help find out the impact factors(e.g.the mobility ratio between conduction and valence bands)for the improvement of thermoelectric properties for Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based alloys.This work provides a convenient tool for analyzing and predicting the transport performance even in the presence of bipolar effect,which can facilitate the development of the narrow-gap thermoelectric semiconductors.展开更多
Understanding and characterizing rough contact and wavy surfaces are essential for developing effective strategies to mitigate wear,optimize lubrication,and enhance the overall performance and durability of mechanical...Understanding and characterizing rough contact and wavy surfaces are essential for developing effective strategies to mitigate wear,optimize lubrication,and enhance the overall performance and durability of mechanical systems.The sliding friction contact problem between a thermoelectric(TE)half-plane and a rigid solid with a periodic wavy surface is the focus of this investigation.To simplify the problem,we utilize mixed boundary conditions,leading to a set of singular integral equations(SIEs)with the Hilbert kernels.The analytical solutions for the energy flux and electric current density are obtained by the variable transform method in the context of the electric and temperature field.The contact problem for the elastic field is transformed into the second-kind SIE and solved by the Jacobi polynomials.Notably,the smoothness of the wavy contact surface ensures that there are no singularities in the surface contact stress,and ensures that it remains free at the contact edge.Based on the plane strain theory of elasticity,the analysis primarily examines the correlation between the applied load and the effective contact area.The distribution of the normal stress on the surface with or without TE loads is discussed in detail for various friction coefficients.Furthermore,the obtained results indicate that the in-plane stress decreases behind the trailing edge,while it increases ahead of the trailing edge when subjected to TE loads.展开更多
Last two decades have witnessed significant progress in thermoelectric research, to which materials processing has crucial contributions. Compared with traditional zone-melting method used for fabricating bismuth tell...Last two decades have witnessed significant progress in thermoelectric research, to which materials processing has crucial contributions. Compared with traditional zone-melting method used for fabricating bismuth telluride alloys, new powder-based processes have more freedom for manipulating nanostructnres and nanocomposites. Thermoelectric performance enhancement is realized in most thermoelectric materials by introducing fine-grained and nano-composite structures with accurately controlled compositions. This review gives a comprehensive summary on the processing aspects of thermoelectric materials with three focuses on the powder synthesis, advanced sintering process and the formation of nanostructures in bulk materials.展开更多
Developing high-efficiency materials with earth-abundant and low-toxicity elements has become a popular trend in the field of thermoelectrics.Among these compounds,oxides and sulfides,the lighter,cheaper and green ana...Developing high-efficiency materials with earth-abundant and low-toxicity elements has become a popular trend in the field of thermoelectrics.Among these compounds,oxides and sulfides,the lighter,cheaper and green analogies of tellurides,have been extensively investigated and summarized as well defined classes.Nonetheless,the vast family of selenides with better electrical performance,lower thermal conductivity and higher thermoelectric efficiency have not been specially discussed.Here in this review,we present recent advances in binary and multinary selenide thermoelectric materials,covering traditional PbSe,liquid-like Cu_(2)Se,layered SnSe,diamond-like and disordered multinary compounds.The features of selenides are discussed based on both environmental concerns and from the perspective of chemical bonding,transport properties and performance.Emphasis is put on the“compositionstructure-processing-performance”relationship,and some interesting issues are addressed.Finally,challenges for thermoelectric selenides are discussed,and possible optimization strategies are also suggested.展开更多
Multilayer thin-film thermoelectric materials are of technological importance. This paper describes a method to analyze the heat conduction in a multilayered thermoelectric plate containing some non-collinear cracks. ...Multilayer thin-film thermoelectric materials are of technological importance. This paper describes a method to analyze the heat conduction in a multilayered thermoelectric plate containing some non-collinear cracks. The material properties in one layer may be different from those in another even though each layer may still be homogeneous. Using the Fourier integral transforms, the boundary value problem is reduced to a system of general singular integral equations. The model is sufficiently general to account for any number of layers and any number of cracks. As a numerical illustration, the electric flux intensity factor, energy flux intensity factor and thermal flux intensity factor for a three-layer plate specimen with two cracks are presented. The effects of strip width on the electric flux intensity factor and thermal flux intensity factor are studied.展开更多
Nowadays,thermoelectric materials have attracted a lot of attention as they can directly convert heat into electricity and vice versa.However,while strenuous efforts have been made,those conventional strategies are st...Nowadays,thermoelectric materials have attracted a lot of attention as they can directly convert heat into electricity and vice versa.However,while strenuous efforts have been made,those conventional strategies are still inevitably going to meet their performance optimization limits.For this reason,brand new strategies are badly needed to achieve further enhancement.Here,the roles played by magnetism in recent advances of thermoelectric optimization are concluded.Firstly,magnetic thermoelectric materials can just be treated like other normal materials because the use of universal optimization strategies can still get good results.So,it is not a situation which is all or nothing and the tactics of using magnetism for thermoelectric optimization can coexist with other strategies.Besides,through magnetic doping,we can introduce and adjust magnetism in materials for further optimization.Magnetism provides more possibilities in thermoelectric optimization as it can directly influence the spin states in materials.Furthermore,in the form of magnetic secondphase nanoclusters,magnetism can be introduced to thermoelectric materials to conquer the dilemma that the solid solubility of many magnetic ions in thermoelectric materials is too low to have any significant effect on thermoelectric properties.Finally,when exposed to an external magnetic field,topological materials can rely on its unique band structures to optimize.展开更多
Recent years have witnessed a continuous discovering of new thermoelectric materials which has experienced a paradigm shift from try-and-error efforts to experience-based discovering and first-principles calculation. ...Recent years have witnessed a continuous discovering of new thermoelectric materials which has experienced a paradigm shift from try-and-error efforts to experience-based discovering and first-principles calculation. However, both the experiment and first-principles calculation deriving routes to determine a new compound are time and resources consuming. Here, we demonstrated a machine learning approach to discover new M_(2)X_(3)-type thermoelectric materials with only the composition information. According to the classic Bi_(2)Te_(3) material, we constructed an M_(2)X_(3)-type thermoelectric material library with 720 compounds by using isoelectronic substitution, in which only 101 compounds have crystalline structure information in the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database(ICSD) and Materials Project(MP) database. A model based on the random forest(RF) algorithm plus Bayesian optimization was used to explore the underlying principles to determine the crystal structures from the known compounds. The physical properties of constituent elements(such as atomic mass, electronegativity, ionic radius) were used to define the feature of the compounds with a general formula ^(1)M^(2)M^(1)X^(2)X^(3)X(^(1)M +^(2)M:^(1)X +^(2)X+^(3)X = 2:3). The primary goal is to find new thermoelectric materials with the same rhombohedral structure as Bi_(2)Te_(3) by machine learning.The final trained RF model showed a high accuracy of 91% on the prediction of rhombohedral compounds. Finally, we selected four important features to proceed with the polynomial fitting with the prediction results from the RF model and used the acquired polynomial function to make further discoveries outside the pre-defined material library.展开更多
Thermoelectric(TE)materials are receiving increasing attention due to their ability to directly converting heat to electricity.They are used to harvest electrical energy from the wasted heat in order to increase the e...Thermoelectric(TE)materials are receiving increasing attention due to their ability to directly converting heat to electricity.They are used to harvest electrical energy from the wasted heat in order to increase the efficiency of global energy.Polymer-based TE materials are particularly fascinating to wearable and mobile devices due to their low density,good flexibility,and low toxicity.This review summarizes the recent breakthroughs and optimization strategies of polymer-based TE materials.Among a large number of different organic TE materials,those with remarkable TE performance are selected and divided into three categories,which are poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)derivatives,carbon nanotube/conductive polymer composites,and inorganic semiconductive nanomaterial/polymer composites.The effect of components and structures on the power factor are presented and discussed.Finally,some challenges are described and suggestions are provided for preparing the next-generation of polymer-based materials with high TE performance.展开更多
Organic thermoelectric(OTE)materials have been considered to be promising candidates for large area and low‐cost wearable devices owing to their tailorable molecular structure,intrinsic flexibility,and prominent solu...Organic thermoelectric(OTE)materials have been considered to be promising candidates for large area and low‐cost wearable devices owing to their tailorable molecular structure,intrinsic flexibility,and prominent solution processability.More importantly,OTE materials offer direct energy conversion from the human body,solid‐state cooling at low electric consumption,and diversified functions.Herein,we summarize recent developments of OTE materials and devices for smart applications.We first review the fundamentals of OTE materials from the viewpoint of thermoelectric performance,mechanical properties and bionic functions.Second,we describe OTE devices in flexible generators,photothermoelectric detectors,self‐powered sensors,and ultra‐thin cooling elements.Finally,we present the challenges and perspectives on OTE materials as well as devices in wearable electronics and fascinating applications in the Internet of Things.展开更多
Room-temperature thermoelectric materials provide promising solutions for energy harvesting from the environment,and deliver a maintenance-free power supply for the internet-of-things(IoTs).The currently available Bi_...Room-temperature thermoelectric materials provide promising solutions for energy harvesting from the environment,and deliver a maintenance-free power supply for the internet-of-things(IoTs).The currently available Bi_(2)Te_(3) family discovered in the 1950s,still dominates industrial applications,however,it has serious disadvantages of brittleness and the resource shortage of tellurium(1×10^(-3) ppm in the earth's crust).The novel Mg_(3)Sb_(2) family has received increasing attention as a promising alternative for room-temperature thermoelectric materials.In this review,the development timeline and fabrication strategies of the Mg 3 Sb 2 family are depicted.Moreover,an insightful comparison between the crystal-linity and band structures of Mg_(3)Sb_(2) and Bi_(2)Te_(3) is drawn.An outlook is presented to discuss challenges and new paradigms in designing room-temperature thermoelectric materials.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.92163211,52002137,51872102,and 51802070the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under Grant Nos.2021XXJS008 and 2018KFYXKJC002Graduates’Innovation Fund,Huazhong University of Science and Technology under Grant No.2020yjs CXCY022
文摘Thermoelectric power generators have attracted increasing interest in recent years owing to their great potential in wearable electronics power supply.It is noted that thermoelectric power generators are easy to damage in the dynamic service process,resulting in the formation of microcracks and performance degradation.Herein,we prepare a new hybrid hydrogel thermoelectric material PAAc/XG/Bi_(2)Se_(0.3)Te_(2.7)by an in situ polymerization method,which shows a high stretchable and self-healable performance,as well as a good thermoelectric performance.For the sample with Bi_(2)Se_(0.3)Te_(2.7)content of 1.5 wt%(i.e.,PAAc/XG/Bi2Se0.3Te27(1.5 wt%)),which has a room temperature Seebeck coefficient of-0.45 mV K^(-1),and exhibits an open-circuit voltage of-17.91 mV and output power of 38.1 nW at a temperature difference of 40 K.After being completely cut off,the hybrid thermoelectric hydrogel automatically recovers its electrical characteristics within a response time of 2.0 s,and the healed hydrogel remains more than 99%of its initial power output.Such stretchable and self-healable hybrid hydrogel thermoelectric materials show promising potential for application in dynamic service conditions,such as wearable electronics.
基金supported by National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (No.61905161 and 51702219)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.61975134,61875138 and 61775147)+1 种基金the Science and Technology Innovation Commission of Shenzhen (No. JCYJ20180206121837007)the Shenzhen Nanshan District Pilotage Team Program (LHTD20170006)
文摘Thermoelectric generators have attracted a wide research interest owing to their ability to directly convert heat into electrical power.Moreover,the thermoelectric properties of traditional inorganic and organic materials have been significantly improved over the past few decades.Among these compounds,layered two-dimensional(2D)materials,such as graphene,black phosphorus,transition metal dichalcogenides,IVA–VIA compounds,and MXenes,have generated a large research attention as a group of potentially high-performance thermoelectric materials.Due to their unique electronic,mechanical,thermal,and optoelectronic properties,thermoelectric devices based on such materials can be applied in a variety of applications.Herein,a comprehensive review on the development of 2D materials for thermoelectric applications,as well as theoretical simulations and experimental preparation,is presented.In addition,nanodevice and new applications of 2D thermoelectric materials are also introduced.At last,current challenges are discussed and several prospects in this field are proposed.
基金This research was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFA0204700,2018YFE0200700)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21805285)the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of CAS(QYZDY-SSW-SLH024).
文摘Electronic structures, which play a key role in determining electrical and optical properties of π-conjugated organic materials, have attracted tremendous interest. Efficient thermoelectric (TE) conversion of organic materials has rigorous requirements on electronic structures. Recently, the rational design and precise modulation of electronic structures have exhibited great potential in exploring state-of-the-art organic TE materials. This review focuses on the regulation of electronic structures of organic materials toward efficient TE conversion. First, we present the basic knowledge regarding electronic structures and the requirements for efficient TE conversion of organic materials, followed by a brief introduction of commonly used methods for electronic structure characterization. Next, we highlight the key strategies of electronic structure engineering for high-performance organic TE materials. Finally, an overview of the electronic structure engineering of organic TE materials, along with current challenges and future research directions, are provided.
基金This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.5O042014 and 60176004)
文摘In order to obtain thermoelectric materials with high figure of merit, theconcept of Hollow (Vacuum) Quantum Structure or Effect and related thermoelectric materials designwere proposed. To demonstrate the theory, the materials of (Bi_(0.15)Sb_(0.85))_2Te_3 with porousstructure have been fabricated. Their thermoelectric properties and the microstructure wereinvestigated and compared with their density structure. It was found that the porous structure couldimprove their properties greatly.
文摘Thermoelectricity is a strong scientific and technological interest due to its wide application ranging from clean energy producing to photon sensing devices.Recent developments in theoretical studies on the thermoelectric(TE)effects as well as the newly discovered thermoelectric materials provide new opportunities for several applications.Though the scale of production is limited,thermoelectric technology provides an alternative to traditional methods of power generation,heating and cooling systems.TE technologies can be used in power generation,heating and cooling applications.They potentially offer significant energy savings through waste heat recovery and augmented cooling.This article critically discusses the current progress in chalcogenide TE materials and the advantages and limitations associated with the TE technologies.The need for new materials discoveries from the point of view of achieving higher figure-of-merit combined with thermal stabilities in intermediate-and hightemperature Peltier and Seebeck effects applications is also emphasized.Besides,this article aims to evaluate the main features of recently characterized multicomponent chalcogenide ionic compounds with high thermal stabilities as potential TE materials to harvest electric power from high-temperature heat flux via thermoelectricity.
基金This work was financially supported by the Nationol Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 59772012)
文摘In order to investigate the adaptability of thermoelectric materials system with different barriers to functional graded thermoelectric materials, n-type Bi2Te, and PbTe two segments graded thermoelectric materials (GTM) with different barriers were fabricated by conventional hot pressing method. Metals Cu, Al, Fe, Co and Ni were used as barriers between two segments. The effects of different barriers on thermoelectric properties of GTM were investigated. The phase and crystal structures were determined by x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The distributions of different compositions were analyzed by electron microprobe analysis (EMA). The thermoelectric properties were measured at 303 K along the direction parallel to the pressing direction. The electric conductivity of samples was measured at 303 K by the four-probe technique. To measure the Seebeck coefficient, heat was applied to the samples, which were placed between two Cu discs. The thermoelectric electromotive force (E) was measured upon applying small temperature differences (DeltaT<275 K) between the both ends of the samples. The Seebeck coefficient of the samples was determined from the E/&UDelta;T.
基金[This work is financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 59772012 and 50042014).]
文摘In order to find more suitable materials as barriers and to improve the thermoelectric properties, p-type (Bi1-xSbx) 2Te3 (x = 0.85, 0.9) two segments compositionally graded thermoelectric materials (CGTM) with different barriers were fabricated by conventional hot pressure method. Metals Fe, Co, Cu and Al were used as barriers between two segments. The effects of different barriers on thermoelectric properties of CGTM were investigated. The results show that metal Fe is more stable and suitable as the barrier.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11972257,11832014,11762016,11472193)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.22120180223)。
文摘The contact problem for thermoelectric materials with functionally graded properties is considered.The material properties,such as the electric conductivity,the thermal conductivity,the shear modulus,and the thermal expansion coefficient,vary in an exponential function.Using the Fourier transform technique,the electro-thermoelastic problems are transformed into three sets of singular integral equations which are solved numerically in terms of the unknown normal electric current density,the normal energy flux,and the contact pressure.Meanwhile,the complex homogeneous solutions of the displacement fields caused by the gradient parameters are simplified with the help of Euler’s formula.After addressing the non-linearity excited by thermoelectric effects,the particular solutions of the displacement fields can be assessed.The effects of various combinations of material gradient parameters and thermoelectric loads on the contact behaviors of thermoelectric materials are presented.The results give a deep insight into the contact damage mechanism of functionally graded thermoelectric materials(FGTEMs).
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.50042014 and 60176004).
文摘In order to improve the thermoelectric properties, hot-pressing sintering andultra high pressure sintering methods were adopted to fabricate BiSb_x. The phase and crystalstructures were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The thermoelectric properties weremeasured at 303 K along the direction parallel to the pressing direction. The electric conductivityof the samples was measured at 303 K by the four-probe technique. To measure the Seebeckcoefficient, heat was applied to the samples placed between two Cu discs. The thermoelectricelectromotive force (E) was measured upon applying small temperature differences (DELTA T<2 deg C)between the both ends of the samples. The Seebeck coefficient of the samples was determined from thevalue of E/DELTA T. The results indicate that the thermoelectric properties of the samplesfabricated by UHPS (ultra high pressure sintering) method are much higher than that by HPS (hotpressing sintering) method and have the highest values at x=0.7.
基金Project supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China(Grant Nos.BK20220407 and BK20220428)。
文摘Since the superior mechanical,chemical and physical properties of high-entropy alloys(HEAs)were discovered,they have gradually become new emerging candidates for renewable energy applications.This review presents the novel applications of HEAs in thermoelectric energy conversion.Firstly,the basic concepts and structural properties of HEAs are introduced.Then,we discuss a number of promising thermoelectric materials based on HEAs.Finally,the conclusion and outlook are presented.This article presents an advanced understanding of the thermoelectric properties of HEAs,which provides new opportunities for promoting their applications in renewable energy.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(T2125008,92263108,92163203,52102292,52003198)Shanghai Rising-Star Program(23QA1409300)Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission(2021-01-07-00-07-E00096)。
文摘Based on Peltier effect,Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based alloy is widely used in commercial solid-state refrigeration at room temperature.The mainstream strategies for enhancing room-temperature thermoelectric performance in Bi_(2)Te_(3)focus on band and microstructure engineering.However,a clear understanding of the modulation of band structure and scattering through such engineering remains still challenging,because the minority carriers compensate partially the overall transport properties for the narrow-gap Bi_(2)Te_(3)at room temperature(known as the bipolar effect).The purpose of this work is to model the transport properties near and far away from the bipolar effect region for Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based thermoelectric material by a two-band model taking contributions of both majority and minority carriers into account.This is endowed by shifting the Fermi level from the conduction band to the valence band during the modeling.A large amount of data of Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based materials is collected from various studies for the comparison between experimental and predicted properties.The fundamental parameters,such as the density of states effective masses and deformation potential coefficients,of Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based materials are quantified.The analysis can help find out the impact factors(e.g.the mobility ratio between conduction and valence bands)for the improvement of thermoelectric properties for Bi_(2)Te_(3)-based alloys.This work provides a convenient tool for analyzing and predicting the transport performance even in the presence of bipolar effect,which can facilitate the development of the narrow-gap thermoelectric semiconductors.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12262033,12272269,12062021,and 12062022)Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Science and Technology Innovation Leading Talent Training Project of China(No.2020GKLRLX01)the Natural Science Foundation of Ningxia of China(Nos.2023AAC02003 and 2022AAC03001)。
文摘Understanding and characterizing rough contact and wavy surfaces are essential for developing effective strategies to mitigate wear,optimize lubrication,and enhance the overall performance and durability of mechanical systems.The sliding friction contact problem between a thermoelectric(TE)half-plane and a rigid solid with a periodic wavy surface is the focus of this investigation.To simplify the problem,we utilize mixed boundary conditions,leading to a set of singular integral equations(SIEs)with the Hilbert kernels.The analytical solutions for the energy flux and electric current density are obtained by the variable transform method in the context of the electric and temperature field.The contact problem for the elastic field is transformed into the second-kind SIE and solved by the Jacobi polynomials.Notably,the smoothness of the wavy contact surface ensures that there are no singularities in the surface contact stress,and ensures that it remains free at the contact edge.Based on the plane strain theory of elasticity,the analysis primarily examines the correlation between the applied load and the effective contact area.The distribution of the normal stress on the surface with or without TE loads is discussed in detail for various friction coefficients.Furthermore,the obtained results indicate that the in-plane stress decreases behind the trailing edge,while it increases ahead of the trailing edge when subjected to TE loads.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11474176)the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(Grant No.2013CB632503)
文摘Last two decades have witnessed significant progress in thermoelectric research, to which materials processing has crucial contributions. Compared with traditional zone-melting method used for fabricating bismuth telluride alloys, new powder-based processes have more freedom for manipulating nanostructnres and nanocomposites. Thermoelectric performance enhancement is realized in most thermoelectric materials by introducing fine-grained and nano-composite structures with accurately controlled compositions. This review gives a comprehensive summary on the processing aspects of thermoelectric materials with three focuses on the powder synthesis, advanced sintering process and the formation of nanostructures in bulk materials.
基金the Basic Science Center Project of NSFC(Grant No.51788104)the National Natural Science Foundation(No.11474176)as well as the Shenzhen Science and Technology Plan Project(No.JCYJ20150827165038323).
文摘Developing high-efficiency materials with earth-abundant and low-toxicity elements has become a popular trend in the field of thermoelectrics.Among these compounds,oxides and sulfides,the lighter,cheaper and green analogies of tellurides,have been extensively investigated and summarized as well defined classes.Nonetheless,the vast family of selenides with better electrical performance,lower thermal conductivity and higher thermoelectric efficiency have not been specially discussed.Here in this review,we present recent advances in binary and multinary selenide thermoelectric materials,covering traditional PbSe,liquid-like Cu_(2)Se,layered SnSe,diamond-like and disordered multinary compounds.The features of selenides are discussed based on both environmental concerns and from the perspective of chemical bonding,transport properties and performance.Emphasis is put on the“compositionstructure-processing-performance”relationship,and some interesting issues are addressed.Finally,challenges for thermoelectric selenides are discussed,and possible optimization strategies are also suggested.
基金Financial supports from the Outstanding Youth Cultivation Project of Ningxia Higher Education （NGY2017002）, the National Natural Science Foundation of China （11762016, 11762017）, the Natural Science Foundation of Ningxia （NZ17009） and Ningxia overseas study project are gratefully acknowledged.
文摘Multilayer thin-film thermoelectric materials are of technological importance. This paper describes a method to analyze the heat conduction in a multilayered thermoelectric plate containing some non-collinear cracks. The material properties in one layer may be different from those in another even though each layer may still be homogeneous. Using the Fourier integral transforms, the boundary value problem is reduced to a system of general singular integral equations. The model is sufficiently general to account for any number of layers and any number of cracks. As a numerical illustration, the electric flux intensity factor, energy flux intensity factor and thermal flux intensity factor for a three-layer plate specimen with two cracks are presented. The effects of strip width on the electric flux intensity factor and thermal flux intensity factor are studied.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.50835002 and 51105102)。
文摘Nowadays,thermoelectric materials have attracted a lot of attention as they can directly convert heat into electricity and vice versa.However,while strenuous efforts have been made,those conventional strategies are still inevitably going to meet their performance optimization limits.For this reason,brand new strategies are badly needed to achieve further enhancement.Here,the roles played by magnetism in recent advances of thermoelectric optimization are concluded.Firstly,magnetic thermoelectric materials can just be treated like other normal materials because the use of universal optimization strategies can still get good results.So,it is not a situation which is all or nothing and the tactics of using magnetism for thermoelectric optimization can coexist with other strategies.Besides,through magnetic doping,we can introduce and adjust magnetism in materials for further optimization.Magnetism provides more possibilities in thermoelectric optimization as it can directly influence the spin states in materials.Furthermore,in the form of magnetic secondphase nanoclusters,magnetism can be introduced to thermoelectric materials to conquer the dilemma that the solid solubility of many magnetic ions in thermoelectric materials is too low to have any significant effect on thermoelectric properties.Finally,when exposed to an external magnetic field,topological materials can rely on its unique band structures to optimize.
基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFB0703600)Shenzhen Key Projects of Long-Term Support Plan (No. 20200925164021002)。
文摘Recent years have witnessed a continuous discovering of new thermoelectric materials which has experienced a paradigm shift from try-and-error efforts to experience-based discovering and first-principles calculation. However, both the experiment and first-principles calculation deriving routes to determine a new compound are time and resources consuming. Here, we demonstrated a machine learning approach to discover new M_(2)X_(3)-type thermoelectric materials with only the composition information. According to the classic Bi_(2)Te_(3) material, we constructed an M_(2)X_(3)-type thermoelectric material library with 720 compounds by using isoelectronic substitution, in which only 101 compounds have crystalline structure information in the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database(ICSD) and Materials Project(MP) database. A model based on the random forest(RF) algorithm plus Bayesian optimization was used to explore the underlying principles to determine the crystal structures from the known compounds. The physical properties of constituent elements(such as atomic mass, electronegativity, ionic radius) were used to define the feature of the compounds with a general formula ^(1)M^(2)M^(1)X^(2)X^(3)X(^(1)M +^(2)M:^(1)X +^(2)X+^(3)X = 2:3). The primary goal is to find new thermoelectric materials with the same rhombohedral structure as Bi_(2)Te_(3) by machine learning.The final trained RF model showed a high accuracy of 91% on the prediction of rhombohedral compounds. Finally, we selected four important features to proceed with the polynomial fitting with the prediction results from the RF model and used the acquired polynomial function to make further discoveries outside the pre-defined material library.
文摘Thermoelectric(TE)materials are receiving increasing attention due to their ability to directly converting heat to electricity.They are used to harvest electrical energy from the wasted heat in order to increase the efficiency of global energy.Polymer-based TE materials are particularly fascinating to wearable and mobile devices due to their low density,good flexibility,and low toxicity.This review summarizes the recent breakthroughs and optimization strategies of polymer-based TE materials.Among a large number of different organic TE materials,those with remarkable TE performance are selected and divided into three categories,which are poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)derivatives,carbon nanotube/conductive polymer composites,and inorganic semiconductive nanomaterial/polymer composites.The effect of components and structures on the power factor are presented and discussed.Finally,some challenges are described and suggestions are provided for preparing the next-generation of polymer-based materials with high TE performance.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFA0204700 and 2018YFE0200700)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21805285,22021002,21905276,61971396)+2 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing(4202077)Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences(BNLMS201912)UCAS(Y954011XX2)and CAS(ZDBS‐LY‐SLH034).
文摘Organic thermoelectric(OTE)materials have been considered to be promising candidates for large area and low‐cost wearable devices owing to their tailorable molecular structure,intrinsic flexibility,and prominent solution processability.More importantly,OTE materials offer direct energy conversion from the human body,solid‐state cooling at low electric consumption,and diversified functions.Herein,we summarize recent developments of OTE materials and devices for smart applications.We first review the fundamentals of OTE materials from the viewpoint of thermoelectric performance,mechanical properties and bionic functions.Second,we describe OTE devices in flexible generators,photothermoelectric detectors,self‐powered sensors,and ultra‐thin cooling elements.Finally,we present the challenges and perspectives on OTE materials as well as devices in wearable electronics and fascinating applications in the Internet of Things.
基金This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China(grant number 51872133)National Key Research and Development Program of China(grant number 2019YFA0704900,2018YFB0703600)the Tencent Foundation through the XPLORER PRIZE and Shenzhen DRC project(grant number[2018]1433).
文摘Room-temperature thermoelectric materials provide promising solutions for energy harvesting from the environment,and deliver a maintenance-free power supply for the internet-of-things(IoTs).The currently available Bi_(2)Te_(3) family discovered in the 1950s,still dominates industrial applications,however,it has serious disadvantages of brittleness and the resource shortage of tellurium(1×10^(-3) ppm in the earth's crust).The novel Mg_(3)Sb_(2) family has received increasing attention as a promising alternative for room-temperature thermoelectric materials.In this review,the development timeline and fabrication strategies of the Mg 3 Sb 2 family are depicted.Moreover,an insightful comparison between the crystal-linity and band structures of Mg_(3)Sb_(2) and Bi_(2)Te_(3) is drawn.An outlook is presented to discuss challenges and new paradigms in designing room-temperature thermoelectric materials.
