page_title: Thermoelectric generator
section_title: New materials
hierarchical_section_title: Thermoelectric generator / Materials for TEG / New materials
caption_attribution_description: Generation of electricity by grabbing both sides of a PEDOT:PSS thermoelectric array at room temperature
context_page_description: A thermoelectric generator, also called a Seebeck generator, is a solid state device that converts heat flux directly into electrical energy through a phenomenon called the Seebeck effect. Thermoelectric generators function like heat engines, but are less bulky and have no moving parts. However, TEGs are typically more expensive and less efficient.
  Thermoelectric generators could be used in power plants to convert waste heat into additional electrical power and in automobiles as automotive thermoelectric generators to increase fuel efficiency. Radioisotope thermoelectric generators use radioisotopes to generate the required heat difference to power space probes.
context_section_description: Researchers are trying to develop new thermoelectric materials for power generation by improving the figure-of-merit zT. One example of these materials is the semiconductor compound ß-Zn₄Sb₃, which possesses an exceptionally low thermal conductivity and exhibits a maximum zT of 1.3 at a temperature of 670K. This material is also relatively inexpensive and stable up to this temperature in a vacuum, and can be a good alternative in the temperature range between materials based on Bi₂Te₃ and PbTe. Among the most exciting developments in thermoelectric materials was the development of single crystal tin selenide which produced a record zT of 2.6 in one direction. Other new materials of interest include Skutterudites, Tetrahedrites, and rattling ions crystals.
  Besides improving the figure-of-merit, there is increasing focus to develop new materials by increasing the electrical power output, decreasing cost and developing environmentally friendly materials. For example, when the fuel cost is low or almost free, such as in waste heat recovery, then the cost per watt is only determined by the power per unit area and the operating period. As a result, it has initiated a search for materials with high power output rather than conversion efficiency. For example, the rare earth compounds YbAl₃ has a low figure-of-merit, but it has a power output of at least double that of any other material, and can operate over the temperature range of a waste heat source.
caption: Generation of electricity by grabbing both sides of a flexible PEDOT:PSS thermoelectric device
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