Phase Content Influence on Thermoelectric Properties of Manganese Silicide-Based Materials for Middle-High Temperatures

The higher manganese silicides (HMS), represented by MnSi _x (x = 1.71 to 1.75), are promising p-type leg candidates for thermoelectric energy harvesting systems in the middle-high temperature range. They are very attractive as they could replace lead-based compounds due to their nontoxicity, low-cost starting materials, and high thermal and chemical stability. Dense pellets were obtained through direct reaction between Mn and Si powders during the spark plasma sintering process. The tetragonal HMS and cubic MnSi phase amounts and the functional properties of the material such as the Seebeck coefficient and electrical and thermal conductivity were evaluated as a function of the SPS processing conditions. The morphology, composition, and crystal structure of the samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction analyses, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were performed to evaluate the thermal stability of the final sintered material. A ZT value of 0.34 was obtained at 600°C for the sample sintered at 900°C and 90 MPa with 5 min holding time.     

Phase Stability and Thermoelectric Properties of CuFeS2-Based Magnetic Semiconductor

Recently, based on measurement results below 400 K, we suggested that chalcopyrite CuFeS₂-based alloys hold promise as thermoelectric materials. In this study, we have investigated the phase stability of such compounds and measured their thermoelectric properties at temperatures above 400 K. Thermogravimetric data indicate that the samples synthesized by a spark plasma sintering method were stable up to 700 K, above which sulfur deficiency becomes prominent. The electrical resistivity of the electron-doped samples showed metallic behavior up to 700 K. The Seebeck coefficients show large negative values of about ?300 μV/K above 400 K. As a result, the power factor of Cu_0.97Fe_1.03S₂ is ~1 mW/K²m in the temperature range of 400 K to 600 K.     

Effects of Second Phase Yb5Sb3 on the Thermoelectric Properties of YbAl3

The compound YbAl₃ exhibits a very high power factor but also rather a large thermal conductivity, leading to a low figure of merit. The second phase Yb₅Sb₃ was introduced in the YbAl₃ matrix to reduce its thermal conductivity. The composites (YbAl₃)_1?x (Yb₅Sb₃) _x with x = 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20 were synthesized by high frequency induction melting, annealing treatment, and spark plasma sintering. The thermoelectric properties of the composites were evaluated. The composites are of n-type conduction. The pure YbAl₃ obtained in this work shows a high power factor of 11,500 μW m^?1 K^?2 but also a high thermal conductivity of 19.6 W m^?1 K^?1. However, the existence of Yb₅Sb₃ compound in the YbAl₃ matrix enhances the electrical resistivity and the absolute Seebeck coefficient of the composite, but significantly reduces its thermal conductivity in the temperature range considered, thereby enhancing the figure of merit. The highest ZT value of 0.23 may be obtained in the sample (YbAl₃)_0.95(Yb₅Sb₃)_0.05 at room temperature, which is apparently higher than that of pure YbAl₃.     

Doping Effects on Thermoelectric Properties in the Mg2Sn System

A weak point of Mg₂X thermoelectrics is the absence of a p-type composition, which motivates research into the Mg₂Sn system. Mg₂Sn thermoelectrics were fabricated by a vacuum melting method and a spark plasma sintering process. As a result, Mg₂Sn single phases were acquired in a wide range of Mg-to-Sn atomic ratios (67:33 to 71:29), showing slightly different thermoelectric characteristics. However, the thermoelectric properties of the undoped system were not sufficient for application in commercial production. To maximize the p-type characteristics, many atoms [Ni (VIIIA), Cu (IB), Ag (IB), Zn (IIB), and In (IIIB)] were doped into the Mg₂Sn phase. Among them, the power factor values increased only in the Ag-doped case. Ag-doping resulted in a power factor that was more than 10 times larger than the value in the undoped case. This result could be important for developing p-type polycrystalline thermoelectrics in the Mg₂X (X?=?Si, Sn) system. However, other atoms [Ni (VIIIA), Cu (IB), Zn (IIB), and In (IIIB)] were not determined to act as acceptor atoms. The maximum ZT value for the Ag-doped Mg₂Sn thermoelectric was more than 0.18, which is comparable to the value for the n-type Mg₂Si system.     

Interleaved Ultrawideband Antenna Arrays Based on Optimized Polyfractal Tree Structures

There is considerable interest in interleaving multiple phased array antennas into a single common aperture system. Current phased array antenna technology is limited to narrowband operation, leading to the appearance of grating lobes and strong mutual coupling effects when they are incorporated into the design of a common aperture system. To overcome this obstacle, a new class of arrays, called polyfractal arrays, has been introduced that possess natural wideband properties well suited for large-scale genetic algorithm optimizations. These arrays also possess recursive beamforming properties and an autopolyploidy-based chromosome expansion that can dramatically accelerate the convergence of a genetic algorithm. In addition, a robust Pareto optimization can be applied to reduce the peak sidelobe levels at several frequencies throughout the intended operating band, leading to ultrawideband antenna array designs. Because of their lack of grating lobes, these polyfractal arrays are ideal building blocks for interleaved antenna array systems. This paper develops these concepts, first creating ultrawideband array designs based on polyfractal geometries and then interleaving these designs into a common aperture system. Several examples of interleaved systems are discussed, with one two-array system possessing a peak sidelobe level of nearly -18 dB with no grating lobes over a 20:1 bandwidth with either of the component array mainbeams steered independently up to 60deg from broadside.     

Effect of Interface Regions on the Thermoelectric Properties of Alternating ZnO/ZnO:Al Stripe Structures

A series of bar-shaped samples consisting of lateral arrangements of alternating ZnO:Al and ZnO stripes was fabricated by radiofrequency (RF)-sputtering and microfabrication techniques on glass substrates. Throughout the series, the number of interfaces between ZnO and ZnO:Al was varied whilst the material fractions of ZnO:Al and ZnO within the bars were not altered. Lateral thermoelectric transport parameters, i.e., Seebeck effect and electrical resistivity, were measured as a function of temperature for all microstructured samples and two reference samples of ZnO:Al and undoped ZnO. The transport direction through the bar was perpendicular to the stripe direction, such that the electrons and phonons have to pass all interfaces. The transport coefficients of the microstructured samples show clear dependence on the number of interfaces between ZnO and ZnO:Al. Thermoelectric measurements, photoluminescence, and Raman measurements indicate that this is due to diffusion of Al donors along the grain boundaries into the undoped ZnO stripes, which takes place during the fabrication process. Modeling of the dependence of the Seebeck coefficient and the resistivity of the series of samples on the basis of a network model accounting for donor diffusion supports these findings.     

Effect of Thermoelectric and Electrical Properties on the Cooling Performance of a Micro Thermoelectric Cooler

Active cooling has been studied to prevent microprocessor temperature rise due to hot spots, and a micro thermoelectric cooler is a promising candidate for this spot cooling since it can be used to effectively cool the small area near the hot spot. Numerical analysis has been conducted to determine the effect of thermoelectric and electrical properties on the cooling performance of such a micro thermoelectric cooler. In the cooler considered herein, Bi₂Te₃ and Sb₂Te₃ were selected as the n- and p-type thermoelectric materials, respectively. The thermoelectric column considered was 20 μm thick. The coefficient of performance (COP) and cooling rate were the primary factors used to evaluate the performance of the cooler. Although cooling performance varies with thermal conditions such as thermophysical properties and temperature difference, the present study only focuses on the effect of thermoelectric and electrical properties such as the Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity.     

Influence of an Optimized Thermoelectric Generator on the Back Pressure of the Subsequent Exhaust Gas System of a Vehicle

Numerous research projects in automotive engineering focus on the industrialization of the thermoelectric generator (TEG). The development and the implementation of thermoelectric systems into the vehicle environment are commonly supported by virtual design activities. In this paper a customized simulation architecture is presented that includes almost all vehicle parts which are influenced by the TEG (overall system simulation) but is nevertheless capable of real-time use. Moreover, an optimized planar TEG with minimum nominal power output of about 580 W and pressure loss at nominal conditions of 10 mbar, synthesized using the overall system simulation, and the overall system simulation itself are used to answer a generally neglected question: What influence does the position of a TEG have on the back pressure of the subsequent exhaust gas system of the vehicle? It is found that the influence of the TEG on the muffler is low, but the catalytic converter is strongly influenced. It is shown that the TEG can reduce the back pressure of an exhaust gas system so much that its overall back pressure is less than the back pressure of a standard exhaust gas system.     

Effect of Heavy Element Substitution and Off-Stoichiometric Composition on Thermoelectric Properties of Fe2VAl-Based Heusler Phase

The thermoelectric performance of Fe₂VAl-based alloys was improved by using the effects of (a) heavy element substitution and (b) off-stoichiometric (Fe/V ≠ 2) composition. The former method led to a significant reduction of lattice thermal conductivity, whereas the latter to an evolution of the Seebeck coefficient. As a result of sample preparation, we confirmed that the dimensionless figure of merit with n-type behavior was increased up to 0.25 at 420 K for the sample obtained at the optimized composition of Fe_1.98V_0.97Ta_0.05Al_0.9Si_0.1. Electronic structure calculations revealed that the increase of the Seebeck coefficient observed for Fe-poor samples was caused by a reduction of the density of states near the chemical potential.     

Optimized Characterization of Thermoelectric Generators for Automotive Application

New developments in the field of thermoelectric materials bring the prospect of consumer devices for recovery of some of the waste heat from internal combustion engines closer to reality. Efficiency improvements are expected due to the development of high-temperature thermoelectric generators (TEG). In contrast to already established radioisotope thermoelectric generators, the temperature difference in automotive systems is not constant, and this imposes a set of specific requirements on the TEG system components. In particular, the behavior of the TEGs and interface materials used to link the heat flow from the heat source through the TEG to the heat sink must be examined. Due to the usage patterns of automobiles, the TEG will be subject to cyclic thermal loads, which leads to module degradation. Additionally, the automotive TEG will be exposed to an inhomogeneous temperature distribution, leading to inhomogeneous mechanical loads and reduced system efficiency. Therefore, a characterization rig is required to allow determination of the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of such high-temperature TEG systems. This paper describes a measurement setup using controlled adjustment of cold-side and warm-side temperatures as well as controlled feed-in of electrical power for evaluation of TEGs for application in vehicles with combustion engines. The temperature profile in the setup can be varied to simulate any vehicle usage pattern, such as the European standard driving cycle, allowing the power yield of the TEGs to be evaluated for the chosen cycle. The spatially resolved temperature distribution of a TEG system can be examined by thermal imaging. Hotspots or cracks on thermocouples of the TEGs and the thermal resistance of thermal interface materials can also be examined using this technology. The construction of the setup is briefly explained, followed by detailed discussion of the experimental results.     

Optimized Thermoelectric Refrigeration in the Presence of Thermal Boundary Resistance

Thermoelectric refrigerators (TEMs) offer several advantages over vapor-compression refrigerators. They are free of moving parts, acoustically silent, reliable, and lightweight. Their low efficiency and peak heat flux capabilities have precluded their use in more widespread applications. Optimization of thermoelectric pellet geometry can help, but past work in this area has neglected the impact of thermal and electrical contact resistances. The present work extends a previous 1-D TEM model to account for a thermal boundary resistance and is appropriate for the common situation where an air-cooled heat sink is attached to a TEM. The model also accounts for the impact of electrical contact resistance at the TEM interconnects. The pellet geometry is optimized with the target of either maximum performance or efficiency for an arbitrary value of thermal boundary resistance for varying values of the temperature difference across the unit, the pellet Seebeck coefficient, and the contact resistances. The model predicts that when the thermal contact conductance is decreased by a factor of ten, the peak heat removal capability is reduced by at least 10%. Furthermore, when the interconnect electrical resistance rises above a factor of ten larger than the pellet electrical resistance, the maximum heat removal capability for a given pellet height is reduced by at least 20% and the maximum coefficient of performance at low $K_{u-infty,u}/(NK)$ values is reduced by at least 50%.      

Nanograin Effects on the Thermoelectric Properties of Poly-Si Nanowires

In this work we perform a theoretical analysis of the thermoelectric performance of polycrystalline Si nanowires (NWs) by considering both electron and phonon transport. The simulations are calibrated with experimental data from monocrystalline and polycrystalline structures. We show that heavily doped polycrystalline NW structures with grain size below 100 nm might offer an alternative approach to achieve simultaneous thermal conductivity reduction and power factor improvements through improvements in the Seebeck coefficient. We find that deviations from the homogeneity of the channel and/or reduction in the diameter may provide strong reduction in the thermal conductivity. Interestingly, our calculations show that the Seebeck coefficient and consequently the power factor can be improved significantly once the polycrystalline geometry is properly optimized, while avoiding strong reduction in the electrical conductivity. In such a way, ZT values even higher than the ones reported for monocrystalline Si NWs can be achieved.     

The Effect of Cu Addition on the System Stability and Thermoelectric Properties of Bi2Te3

Cu-doped Bi₂Te₃ nanopowders with nominal composition Cu _x Bi₂Te₃ (x = 0, 0.01, 0.025, and 0.05) were synthesized by a gas-induced-reduction method using TeO₂, Bi(NO₃)₃·5H₂O and Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O as raw materials and then hot-pressed into bulk materials. x-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates that, when x ≠ 0, pure Cu _x Bi₂Te₃ phase was obtained, and that when x = 0, Bi₂Te₃ mixed with a small amount of Bi₂TeO₅ was obtained. Field emission scanning electron microscopy observation reveals that Cu addition significantly reduces the grain sizes of the materials. First-principle calculations show that the order of the free energies of the materials is: Cu-doped Bi₂Te₃ (substitution of Cu for Bi) < Cu intercalated Bi₂Te₃ < Bi₂Te₃. The electrical and thermal conductivities decrease and the Seebeck coefficient increases with Cu addition. The maximum figure of merit, ZT, reaches 0.67 at 500 K for a Cu_0.05Bi₂Te₃ sample.     

Diversity of Properties of Device Structures Based on Group-III Nitrides,Related to Modification of the Fractal-Percolation System

A fractal-percolation system that includes extended defects and random fluctuations in the alloy composition is formed during the growth of device structures based on Group-III nitrides. It is established that the specific features of this system are determined not only by the growth conditions. It is shown that the diversity of the electrical and optical properties of InGaN/GaN LEDs (light-emitting diodes) emitting at wavelengths of 450–460 and 519–530 nm, as well as that of the electrical properties of AlGaN/GaN HEMT (high-electron-mobility transistor) structures, is due to modification of the properties of the fractal-percolation system both during the growth process and under the action of the injection current and irradiation. The influence exerted by these specific features on the service life of light-emitting devices and on the reliability of AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures is discussed.