Search results for "EEB"

Structural Principles and Thermoelectric Properties of Polytypic Group 14 Clathrate-II Frameworks

2013

We have investigated the structural principles and thermoelectric properties of polytypic group 14 clathrate-II frameworks using quantum chemical methods. The experimentally known cubic 3C polytype was found to be the energetically most favorable framework, but the studied hexagonal polytypes (2 H, 4 H, 6 H, 8 H, 10 H) lie energetically close to it. In the case of germanium, the energy difference between the 3C and 6H clathrate-II polytypes is ten times smaller than the difference between the experimentally known 3C-Ge (α-Ge) and 4H-Ge polytypes. The thermoelectric properties of guest-occupied clathrate-II structures were investigated for compositions Na-Rb-Ga-Ge and Ge-As-I. The clathrate-…

PEDOT thin films with n-type thermopower

2019

peer-reviewed Synthesis of n-type organic semiconductors is challenging as reduced states are difficult to obtain due to their instability in air. Here, we report tailoring of semiconducting behavior through control of surfactant concentration during synthesis of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were synthesized by mini-emulsion polymerization, where stable suspensions were used to produce polymer films by a simple casting technique on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. Electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficients were measured as a function of surfactant concentration. It was found that conductivity decreases three orders of magnitude as s…

Optimization of the carrier concentration in phase-separated half-Heusler compounds

2014

Inspired by the promising thermoelectric properties of phase-separated half-Heusler materials, we investigated the influence of electron doping in the n-type Ti_(0.3−x)Zr_(0.35)Hf_(0.35)NiSn compound. The addition of Nb to this compound led to a significant increase in its electrical conductivity, and shifted the maximum Seebeck coefficient to higher temperatures owing to the suppression of intrinsic carriers. This resulted in an enhancement of both the power factor α^2σ and figure of merit, zT. The applicability of an average effective mass model revealed the optimized electron properties for samples containing Nb. There is evidence in the literature that the average effective mass model i…

Thermoeletric Heusler Compounds

2015

Thermoelectric converters for power generation aim at reducing CO\(_2\) emission via the conversion of a part of the low-grade waste heat generated by engines, industrial furnaces, gas pipes, etc. to electricity. The recovery of waste heat from the exhaust of an automotive engine, in particular, is an attractive, albeit not very efficient way for reduction of fuel consumption. Thermoelectric converters with high overall efficiency convert heat directly into electricity without moving parts and, thus, not only decrease our reliance on fossil fuels but also actively counteract global warming. State-of-the-art converters are simply too inefficient to be economic, partly due to expensive elemen…

2018

An analytical model describing the thermoelectric potential production in magnetic nanofluids (dispersions of magnetic and charged colloidal particles in liquid media) is presented. The two major entropy sources, the thermogalvanic and thermodiffusion processes are considered. The thermodiffusion term is described in terms of three physical parameters; the diffusion coefficient, the Eastman entropy of transfer and the electrophoretic charge number of colloidal particles, which all depend on the particle concentration and the applied magnetic field strength and direction. The results are combined with well-known formulation of thermoelectric potential in thermogalvanic cells and compared to …

La 1−xCaxMnO3 semiconducting nanostructures: morphology and thermoelectric properties

2014

Semiconducting metallic oxides, especially perosvkite materials, are great candidates for thermoelectric applications due to several advantages over traditionally metallic alloys such as low production costs and high chemical stability at high temperatures. Nanostructuration can be the key to develop highly efficient thermoelectric materials. In this work, La 1−xCa x MnO3 perosvkite nanostructures with Ca as a dopant have been synthesized by the hydrothermal method to be used in thermoelectric applications at room temperature. Several heat treatments have been made in all samples, leading to a change in their morphology and thermoelectric properties. The best thermoelectric efficiency has b…

Magnéli oxides as promising <em>n</em>-type thermoelectrics

2014

The discovery of a large thermopower in cobalt oxides in 1997 lead to a surge of interest in oxides for thermoelectric application. Whereas conversion efficiencies of p-type oxides can compete with non-oxide materials, n-type oxides show significantly lower thermoelectric performances. In this context so-called Magneli oxides have recently gained attention as promising n-type thermoelectrics. A combination of crystallographic shear and intrinsic disorder lead to relatively low thermal conductivities and metallic-like electrical conductivities in Magneli oxides. Current peak-zT values of 0.3 around 1100 K for titanium and tungsten Magneli oxides are encouraging for future research. Here, we …

Multi-temperature synchrotron PXRD and physical properties study of half-Heusler TiCoSb.

2010

Phase pure samples of the half-Heusler material TiCoSb were synthesised and investigated. Multi-temperature synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data measured between 90 and 1000 K in atmospheric air confirm the phase purity, but they also reveal a decomposition reaction starting at around 750 K. This affects the high temperature properties since TiCoSb is semiconducting, whereas CoSb is metallic. Between 90 K and 300 K the linear thermal expansion coefficient is estimated to be 10.5 × 10(-6) K(-1), while it is 8.49 10(-6) K(-1) between 550 K and 1000 K. A fit of a Debye model to the Atomic Displacement Parameters obtained from Rietveld refinement of the PXRD data gives a Debye tempe…

Synthesis and thermoelectric characterisation of bismuth nanoparticles

2009

An effective method of preparation of bismuth nanopowders by thermal decomposition of bismuth dodecyl-mercaptide Bi(SC12H25)3 and preliminary results on their thermoelectric properties are reported. The thermolysis process leads to Bi nanoparticles due to the efficient capping agent effect of the dodecyl-disulfide by-product, which strongly bonds the surface of the Bi clusters, preventing their aggregation and significantly reducing their growth rate. The structure and morphology of the thermolysis products were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffractometry, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispe…

Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene) nanoparticles as building blocks for hybrid thermoelectric flexible films

2019

Hybrid thermoelectric flexible films based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes were prepared by using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. The employed PEDOT nanoparticles were synthesized by oxidative miniemulsion polymerization by using iron(III) p-toluenesulfonate hexahydrate (FeTos) as an oxidant and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) as stabilizer. Sodium deoxycholate (DOC) was used as a stabilizer to prepare the aqueous dispersions of the carbon nanotubes. Hybrid thermoelectric films were finally prepared with different monomer/oxidant molar ratios and different types of carbon nanotubes, aiming to maximize the power factor (PF). The …