Thermoelectric degrees of freedom determining thermoelectric efficiency.

ABSTRACT: For over half a century, the development of thermoelectric materials has based on the dimensionless figure of merit z T , assuming that the efficiency is mainly determined by this single parameter. Here, we show that the thermoelectric conversion efficiency is determined by three independent parameters, Z gen , τ, and β, which we call the three thermoelectric degrees of freedom (DoFs). Z gen is the well-defined mean of the traditional z T under nonzero temperature differences. The two additional parameters τ and β are gradients of material properties and crucial to evaluating the heat current altered by nonzero Thomson heat and asymmetric Joule heat escape. Each parameter is a figure of merit. Therefore, increasing one of the three DoFs lea

SUBMITTER: Ryu B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8382987 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature