This paper aims to evaluate the ability of some well-known bio-inspired metaheuristics for optimal arrangement of thermoelectric cells mounted in a thermal component. In real life applications, proper arrangement of thermoelectric modules plays a pivotal role by maximising the generated electricity. However, some defects such as the increase in total maintenance cost is often associated with th...

A thermoelectric power generation system was developed to extend the mission time of an unmanned underwater vehicle. Thermoelectrics are used to convert available heat into electricity, which is then used to charge a lithium-ion (LiIon) battery. The proof-of-concept system uses free convection over a heat sink to reject heat to the surrounding water. The battery charging circuit developed inclu...

A three-dimensional numerical model of thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules attached to a large chimney plate is proposed and solved numerically using a control volume based finite difference formulation. The TEG module consists of a thermoelectric generator, an elliptical pin-fin heat sink, and a cold plate for water cooling. In the chimney, the temperature of flue gases is 450-650K. Althoug...

A new approach to thermoelectric power generation using large area pn-junctions is presented [1]. Thermally generated electron-hole pairs are separated by the built-in potential gradient of the pn-junction. A temperature gradient applied along this pn-junction causes a flux of both carrier types from the hot to the cold region. This principle allows us to use layer structures similar to solar c...

Thermoelectric plastics are a class of polymer-based materials that combine the ability to directly convert heat to electricity, and vice versa, with ease of processing. Potential applications include waste heat recovery, spot cooling and miniature power sources for autonomous electronics. Recent progress has led to surging interest in organic thermoelectrics. This tutorial review discusses the...

In this work, Au-Bi(2)Te(3) nanocomposite thermoelectric film with a hierarchical sub-micron antireflection quasi-periodic structure was synthesized via a low-temperature chemical route using Troides helena (Linnaeus) forewing (T_FW) as the biomimetic template. This method combines chemosynthesis with biomimetic techniques, without the requirement of expensive equipment and energy intensive pro...

The quest for materials showing large thermoelectric power has long been one of the important subjects in material science and technology. Such materials have great potential for thermoelectric cooling and also high figure of merit ZT thermoelectric applications. We have fabricated bilayer graphene devices with ionic-liquid gating in order to tune its band gap via application of a perpendicular...