Materiales termoeléctricos, calcogenuros y pnicturos, con nuevas fenomenologías : síntesis y caracterizaciónThermoelectric materials, chalcogenides and pnictides, with new phenomenologies : synthesis and characterization

Abstract

In recent decades, worldwide energy demand has increased year after year, following an unstoppable trend bringing about a societal need for better energy management. An estimated two thirds of the total energy production turns into waste heat, representing a tantalizingly significant contribution to achieve greater energy efficiency. Thermoelectric generators, devices capable of transforming heat into electrical energy directly and reversibly, could thus have a strong impact. These generators have no moving parts, require minimum maintenance, and are much more reliable than most traditional power generation systems. However, there are still some problems that need to be overcome before this technology becomes widespread, chiefly its low efficiency, which is currently around ~5%. This efficiency depends crucially on the material thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT = S2σT/κ, where S stands for Seebeck coefficient, σ for electrical conductivity, T for absolute temperature, and κ for total thermal conductivity...