Thermoelectric efficiency of silicon–germanium alloys in finite-time thermodynamics

Abstract

We analyze the efficiency in terms of a thermoelectric system of a one-dimensional Silicon–Germanium alloy. The dependency of thermal conductivity on the stoichiometry is pointed out, and the best fit of the experimental data is determined by a nonlinear regression method (NLRM). The thermoelectric efficiency of that system as function of the composition and of the effective temperature gradient is calculated as well. For three different temperatures (T = 300K, T = 400K, T = 500K), we determine the values of composition and thermal conductivity corresponding to the optimal thermoelectric energy conversion. The relationship of our approach with Finite-Time Thermodynamics is pointed out.