Thermoelectric Materials Advance Could Drop the Cost of Waste-Heat Harvesting

Past advances in the field have been stymied by the lack of ability to produce both electron (“n-type”), and proton-heavy (“p-type”), nanoparticles, both necessary for electricity conversion, and a problem that RPI researchers have overcome:

The technique, presented in a Nature Materials paper posted online last week, makes p-type materials that are as efficient as the best ones on the market, while the n-type materials are at least 25 percent more efficient. One of the biggest commercial thermoelectric device manufacturers is now interested in adopting the new materials and process.

The key breakthrough of the RPI work, according to Badding, is that the researchers are building the nanostructured materials from the bottom up using chemistry. This means they can fine-tune the properties of the building blocks and their assembly to improve the material’s properties. “The way they’re making the material is a big deal,” he says. “The hope is that in the future, this type of approach could lead to better [efficiency].”