Thermoelectric Materials

Abstract

Thermoelectric materials can be used for refrigeration and power generation. To date efficient materials for applications in the vicinity of room temperature exist and thermoelectric modules fabricated from these are commercially available. However, both at low and high temperatures, efficiencies are still too low and much effort is put worldwide in optimizing known and finding new materials. After a brief introduction to thermoelectric phenomena and a presentation of the state-of-the-art in traditional Bi-Te based thermoelectrics, focus will be on material classes considered more recently for thermoelectric applications. Special emphasis will be on “cage compounds” as one important representative of the class of “complex metallic alloys”.