We report the thermoelectric properties of Heusler-type off-stoichiometric Fe2V1+xAl1-x alloys. Due to the off-stoichiometric effect, which is the substitution of V/Al atoms with Al/V atoms, semiconductor-like electric resistivity behavior in Fe2VAl is changed to metallic behavior in Fe2V1+xAl1-x alloys and both positive and negative absolute Seebeck coefficients are drastically increased. The ...

Low-dimensional semiconductors are considered promising candidates for thermoelectric applications with enhanced performance because of a drastic reduction in their thermal conductivity, κl , and possibilities of enhanced power factors. This is also the case for traditionally poor thermoelectric materials such as silicon. This work presents atomistic simulations for the electronic, thermal, and...

Thermoelectric effect enables direct conversion between thermal and electrical energy and provides an alternative route for power generation and refrigeration. Hereby it is important to find materials with a high thermoelectric performance. In this sense, in the present work, we study the behavior of the thermoelectric properties of functionalized graphene grain boundaries by employing non-equi...

Thermoelectric materials are used as solid-state heat pumps and as power generators. The low efficiency of devices based on conventional bulk thermoelectric materials confines their applications to niches in which their advantages in compactness and controllability outweigh that drawback. Recent developments in nanotechnologies have led to the development of thermoelectric nano-materials with d...

We report on the materials preparation and device fabrication for screen printed Bi2Te3/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 annular thermoelectric generators (TEGs) for use in ultra-low-power sensor applications. At a 20K temperature gradient, test couples — n& p-type 1 cm squares connected electrically in series with printed Ag traces — demonstrated an average power of 0.068nW at 26nA and 2.6mV. The material prepar...

We have found that it may be possible to obtain significant enhancement in ZT at 300K, over conventional bulk SiGe alloys, through the use of Si/Ge Superlattice (SL) structures. The Seebeck coefficient in Si/Ge SL structures was observed to increase rapidly with decreasing SL period with no loss of electrical conductivity. The carrier mobilities in Si/Ge SLs were higher than in a comparable thi...

The conversion of sunlight into electricity has been dominated by photovoltaic and solar thermal power generation. Photovoltaic cells are deployed widely, mostly as flat panels, whereas solar thermal electricity generation relying on optical concentrators and mechanical heat engines is only seen in large-scale power plants. Here we demonstrate a promising flat-panel solar thermal to electric po...

Topological semimetals are systems in which conduction and valence bands cross each other and the crossings are protected by topological constraints. These materials provide intriguing tests for fundamental theories, while their unique physical properties promise a wide range of possible applications in low-power spintronics, optoelectronics, quantum computing and green energy harvesting. Here ...