We demonstrate that thermoelectric properties of graphene nanoribbons can be dramatically improved by introducing nanopores. In monolayer graphene, this increases the electronic thermoelectric figure of merit ZT e from 0.01 to 0.5. The largest values of ZT e are found when a nanopore is introduced into bilayer graphene, such that the current flows from one layer to the other via the inner surfa...

Thermoelectric energy conversion is widely recognized as a promising technology both for electric power generation in terms of waste heat recovery and for cooling of various electronic devices [1]. SrTiO3 based perovskites are among a number of candidate materials for such thermoelectric applications [2]. For the first time, we demonstrate the successful synthesis of (1-x)SrTiO3-xLa1/3NbO3 cera...

Flexible n-type tungsten carbide/polylactic acid (WC/PLA) composites were fabricated by additive manufacturing and their thermoelectric properties were investigated. The preparation of an n-type polymer-based thermoelectric composite with good stability in air atmosphere via additive manufacturing holds promise for application in flexible thermoelectric devices. For WC/PLA volume ratios varying...

We present switching methods that make thermoelectric refrigerators efficient and optimal for all cold storage applications. These temporal methods double the coefficient of performance (COPs) of the refrigerators during cooling transients and allow highly energy-efficient operation in the steady state by turning off the thermoelectric devices both electrically and thermally so as to avoid back...

A planar ThermoElectric Generator (TEG) containing five thermocouples based on nanostructured metal-oxide elements wired electrically in series and thermally in parallel has been designed and fabricated. The thermoelectric elements consist of ZnO (n-type) and CuO (p-type) bundles of quasi-monodimensional nanowires deposited utilizing shadow masks. The TEG has been experimentally characterized, ...

This work reports on an integrated energy harvesting prototype consisting of dispenser-printed thermoelectric energy harvesting and electrochemical energy storage devices. The use of a commercially available DC-to-DC converter is explored to step-up the mV output voltage of the printed thermoelectric device to several volts for charging printable zinc-based micro-batteries. Two separate paralle...

In this paper, we discuss the construction of a small apparatus less than 3cm large to characterize the thermoelectric properties of a small thermoelectric sample that can be easily used in cryogenic environments. The device was then used to measure the thermal conductivity of silicon and the Seebeck coefficient of thin film bismuth telluride. Thin film bismuth telluride has become of particula...

PbTe and SnTe in their p-type forms have long been considered high-performance thermoelectrics, and both of them largely rely on two valence bands (the first band at L point and the second one along the Σ line) participating in the transport properties. This work focuses on the thermoelectric transport properties inherent to p-type GeTe, a member of the group IV monotellurides that is relativel...

Recent advances in both theoretical and experimental studies on optimizing thermoelectric performance have proved to greatly benefit from nanostructure engineering. As a class of materials with the best thermoelectric properties near room temperature, V-VI alloy nanostructures, especially Bi(2)Te(3) and its alloy with Sb, Se and so on, have attracted a broad interest. This perspective gives an ...

Novel thermoelectric oxides were developed, produced, and characterized to demonstrate their promising thermoelectric conversion potential in a thermoelectric converter. Four-leg thermoelectric oxide modules were fabricated by combining pand n-type oxide thermoelements made of pressed polycrystalline GdCo0.95Ni0.05O3 and CaMn0.98Nb0.02O3, respectively. In these modules, the pand n-type thermoel...