Thermoelectric Micro / Nano Generators, Volume 2: Challenges and Prospects

This book explores a key technology regarding the importance of connections via an Internet of Things network and how this helps us to easily communicate with others and gather information. Namely, what would happen if this suddenly became unavailable due to a shortage of power or electricity? Using thermoelectric generators is a viable solution as they use the heat around us to generate the much-needed electricity for our technological needs. This second volume on the challenges and prospects of thermoelectric generators covers the reliability and durability of thermoelectric materials and devices, the effect of microstructures on the understanding of electronic properties of complex materials, thermoelectric nanowires, the impact of chemical doping or magnetism, thermoelectric generation using the anomalous Nernst effect, phonon engineering, the current state and future prospects of thermoelectric technologies, transition metal silicides, and past, present and future applications of thermoelectrics.

Table of Contents:
Preface ix Hiroyuki AKINAGA, Atsuko KOSUGA and Takao MORI Introduction xiii Hiroyuki AKINAGA, Atsuko KOSUGA and Takao MORI Part 1 Material Challenges and Novel Effects 1 Chapter 1 Reliability and Durability of Thermoelectric Materials and Devices: Present Status and Strategies for Improvement 3 Congcong XU, Hongjing SHANG, Zhongxin LIANG, Fazhu DING and Zhifeng REN 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 Thermoelectric material stability 5 1.3 Mg3(Sb, Bi)2 5 1.4 Zn4Sb3 7 1.5 Skutterudites 8 1.6 Cu2-xX (X = S, Se, Te) 9 1.7 GeTe 11 1.8 Outlook on thermoelectric materials stability 12 1.9 Thermoelectric device design analysis 13 1.9.1 Thermal stress analysis 13 1.9.2 Interface analysis, design and fabrication 21 1.10 Advanced thermoelectric module case studies 33 1.10.1 Bi2Te3 33 1.10.2 Mg3(Sb, Bi)2 35 1.10.3 GeTe 37 1.10.4 Skutterudites 39 1.11 Summary and outlook 40 1.12 References 41 Chapter 2 Effect of Microstructure in Understanding the Electronic Properties of Complex Materials 53 Chenguang FU, Chaoliang HU, Qi ZHANG, Airan LI and Tiejun ZHU 2.1 Introduction 53 2.2 Basic principles of electronic transport parameters 54 2.2.1 Solid solutions 59 2.2.2 Intrinsic defects 60 2.2.3 Grain boundary 62 2.2.4 Texture 65 2.3 Summary 67 2.4 References 67 Chapter 3 Thermoelectric Nanowires 73 Olga CABALLERO-CALERO and Marisol MARTÍN-GONZÁLEZ 3.1 Introduction 73 3.2 Nanowires: a way to enhance thermoelectric efficiency 74 3.3 Fabrication of thermoelectric nanowires 77 3.4 Measurement of thermoelectric properties in nanowires 79 3.5 Nanowire-based thermoelectric devices 86 3.6 Interconnected 3D nanowire networks 87 3.7 Summary and outlook 89 3.8 References 89 Chapter 4 Impact of Chemical Doping or Magnetism in Model Thermoelectric Sulfides 99 Sylvie HÉBERT, Ramzy DAOU and Antoine MAIGNAN 4.1 Introduction 100 4.2 TiS2: intercalation chemistry to combine power factor optimization and lattice thermal conductivity degradation 101 4.3 Magnetism and thermoelectricity in sulfides 104 4.4 Conclusion 110 4.5 References 110 Chapter 5 Thermoelectric Generation Using the Anomalous Nernst Effect 117 Akito SAKAI and Satoru NAKATSUJI 5.1 Thermoelectric conversion – Seebeck effect and anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) 117 5.2 Physics of topological magnets 120 5.2.1 Transverse electrical and thermal conductivity driven by Berry curvature 120 5.2.2 Magnetic Weyl semimetals, Weyl magnets 121 5.2.3 Type-II Weyl semimetals 122 5.2.4 Nodal line magnets 123 5.3 Experimental realization of the giant anomalous Nernst effect 124 5.3.1 Weyl antiferromagnets Mn3X (X = Sn, Ge) 124 5.3.2 Weyl ferromagnet Co2MnGa 124 5.3.3 Nodal-web ferromagnets Fe3X (X = Ga, Al) 125 5.4 Summary and prospects 127 5.5 Acknowledgment 127 5.6 References 127 Chapter 6 A Comprehensive Review of Phonon Engineering 131 Bin XU, Harsh CHANDRA, and Junichiro SHIOMI 6.1 Introduction 131 6.1.1 Thermal conductivity 133 6.1.2 Phonons in thermal transport 133 6.2 Methodology of phonon engineering 142 6.2.1 Computational method for thermal conduction and phonon properties 142 6.2.2 Experimental method for nano-/micro-scale heat conduction characterization 144 6.2.3 Direct measurement of phonon properties through phonon scattering 149 6.2.4 Phonon engineering for low thermal conductivity 152 6.2.5 Intrinsic low thermal conductivity in complex lattice structure 153 6.2.6 Low thermal conductivity by nanostructures 155 6.2.7 Coherent phonon engineering in superlattice 158 6.3 Summary and future prospects 162 6.4 References 164 Part 2 Toward Device Applications 171 Chapter 7 The Current State of Thermoelectric Technologies and Applications with Prospects 173 Slavko BERNIK 7.1 Introduction 173 7.2 Thermoelectric materials 180 7.3 Thermoelectric devices – structure, materials, fabrication technology 189 7.4 Summary 198 7.5 References 199 Chapter 8 Processing of Thermoelectric Transition Metal Silicides Towards Module Development 213 Sylvain LE TONQUESSE, Mathieu PASTUREL, Franck GASCOIN and David BERTHEBAUD 8.1 Introduction 213 8.2 Recent progress on the process of thermoelectric transition metals silicide 214 8.2.1 Synthesis of mesostructured silicides through magnesiothermic reduction 214 8.2.2 Synthesis of higher manganese silicide through wet ball milling 218 8.2.3 Issues of MnSi striations and thermal stability on thermoelectric performance of doped higher manganese silicide 219 8.2.4 Upscaling processes, the examples of additive manufacturing and RGS process 223 8.3 Towards contacts and device developments 225 8.4 References 226 Chapter 9 Application of the Thermoelectrics; Past, Present and Future 229 Hirokuni HACHIUMA 9.1 Introduction 229 9.2 Thermoelectric module 230 9.3 TEC application for refrigerator and cooler 231 9.4 TEC for electronic components 234 9.4.1 TEC for optical communication 234 9.4.2 Multi-stage TEC for optical sensors 236 9.5 TEC for semiconductor manufacturing 239 9.6 TEG application 241 9.6.1 TEG for energy harvesting (EH) 242 9.6.2 TEG for stand-alone power source 244 9.6.3 TEG for waste heat recovery 245 9.7 Conclusion 247 9.8 References 247 List of Authors 249 Index 253 Summary of Volume 1 255

About the Author :
Hiroyuki Akinaga is the Principal Research Manager at the Device Technology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan. Atsuko Kosuga is an associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan. Takao Mori is a Deputy Director of WPI-MANA at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and is also a professor at the Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan. Gustavo Ardila is an associate professor at Grenoble Alpes University and a researcher at IMEP – LaHC, France.