Thermoeletric Heusler compounds

Abstract

Thermoelectric converters for power generation aim at reducing CO2 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 elementary constituents (Te, Ge, etc.). On this background, Heusler compounds with C1b structure stand out on account of their relatively low cost components and have been extensively studied as potential thermoelectric materials for high temperature power generation up to 1000K during the last years.