Novel Thermoelectric Materials and Devices and Related Micro- and Nanotechnology

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D:Materials and Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 7757

Special Issue Editors

School of Chemistry & Physics, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane City, QLD 4000, Australia
Interests: chemical-mechanical polishing; thermoelectric; atomic force microscopy; surface and interface; chemistry; physics
Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Interests: energy conversion; storage materials and technologies; thermoelectric materials; devices and applications
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ever-growing energy consumption and increasingly severe environmental issues have gained extensive attention in recent years. To overcome the coming energy crisis, exploring sustainable and eco-friendly energy resources have shown considerable significance. Thermoelectric is considered to be a sustainable solution to meet global energy challenges by harvesting electricity from waste heat, and has therefore become of interest in recent years. The thermoelectric performance is exponentially growing, and a Special Issue of the recent advances in thermoelectric strategies is timely. The aim of this Special Issue is to publish significant developments in the area of thermoelectrics based on advanced thermoelectric techniques, including state-of-art synthesis approaches, computational achievements, and advanced characterization techniques of the principles of both structures and materials. Furthermore, this Special Issue also focuses on advanced micro- and nanotechnology for fabricating thermoelectric devices with novel designs for various applications with a high performance and stability, such as miniature device assembling and flexible/wearable thermoelectric generators. It will act as a critical platform for thermoelectrics, and in particular establish an intrinsic link between these newly developed strategies and the outstanding performance achieved.

Dr. Xiao-Lei Shi
Dr. Weidi Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • thermoelectric
  • material
  • device
  • fabrication
  • calculation
  • micro- and nanotechnology
  • miniature device assembling
  • flexible/wearable thermoelectric generators

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

27 pages, 2223 KiB  
Review
An Overview of the Strategies for Tin Selenide Advancement in Thermoelectric Application
by Rosnita Md Aspan, Noshin Fatima, Ramizi Mohamed, Ubaidah Syafiq and Mohd Adib Ibrahim
Micromachines 2021, 12(12), 1463; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12121463 - 27 Nov 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2493
Abstract
Chalcogenide, tin selenide-based thermoelectric (TE) materials are Earth-abundant, non-toxic, and are proven to be highly stable intrinsically with ultralow thermal conductivity. This work presented an updated review regarding the extraordinary performance of tin selenide in TE applications, focusing on the crystal structures and [...] Read more.
Chalcogenide, tin selenide-based thermoelectric (TE) materials are Earth-abundant, non-toxic, and are proven to be highly stable intrinsically with ultralow thermal conductivity. This work presented an updated review regarding the extraordinary performance of tin selenide in TE applications, focusing on the crystal structures and their commonly used fabrication methods. Besides, various optimization strategies were recorded to improve the performance of tin selenide as a mid-temperature TE material. The analyses and reviews over the methodologies showed a noticeable improvement in the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, with a noticeable decrement in the thermal conductivity, thereby enhancing the tin selenide figure of merit value. The applications of SnSe in the TE fields such as microgenerators, and flexible and wearable devices are also discussed. In the future, research in low-dimensional TE materials focusing on nanostructures and nanocomposites can be conducted with the advancements in material science technology as well as microtechnology and nanotechnology. Full article
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25 pages, 2262 KiB  
Review
Review of Thermoelectric Generators at Low Operating Temperatures: Working Principles and Materials
by Nurkhaizan Zulkepli, Jumril Yunas, Mohd Ambri Mohamed and Azrul Azlan Hamzah
Micromachines 2021, 12(7), 734; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12070734 - 22 Jun 2021
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 4666
Abstract
Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are a form of energy harvester and eco-friendly power generation system that directly transform thermal energy into electrical energy. The thermoelectric (TE) method of energy harvesting takes advantage of the Seebeck effect, which offers a simple solution for fulfilling the [...] Read more.
Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are a form of energy harvester and eco-friendly power generation system that directly transform thermal energy into electrical energy. The thermoelectric (TE) method of energy harvesting takes advantage of the Seebeck effect, which offers a simple solution for fulfilling the power-supply demand in almost every electronics system. A high-temperature condition is commonly essential in the working mechanism of the TE device, which unfortunately limits the potential implementation of the device. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of TEGs at low operating temperature. The review starts with an extensive description of their fundamental working principles, structure, physical properties, and the figure of merit (ZT). An overview of the associated key challenges in optimising ZT value according to the physical properties is discussed, including the state of the art of the advanced approaches in ZT optimisation. Finally, this manuscript summarises the research status of Bi2Te3-based semiconductors and other compound materials as potential materials for TE generators working at low operating temperatures. The improved TE materials suggest that TE power-generation technology is essential for sustainable power generation at near-room temperature to satisfy the requirement for reliable energy supplies in low-power electrical/electronics systems. Full article
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