What are the different types of thermoelectric materials?

Thermoelectric process is a direct conversion of heat into electricity and back again when heated or cooling the object. Thermoelectric materials can be used to measure temperature changes, change the actual temperature of the object and generate electric charge that can be used to generate energy. In 2011, thermoelectric materials are too ineffective to make them useful, but automotive engineers try to use them to get wasting thermal energy from the vehicle and turn them into usable electricity. Scientists are trying to increase the efficiency of thermoelectric materials to make them more economical, so they can be used to create low cost and more efficient refrigerators, air conditioning and other devices that require cooling.

Thermoelectric processes occur due to the Peltier effect, which is the cooling and heating of opposite intersections in electrical circuits containing different semiconductors. The thermoelectric materials can be used to create DE cooling or provide cooling. One of the currentThe thermoelectric materials used today are Bismuth Telluride, an expensive compound that can cost up to $ 1,000 (USD)/LB ($ 2,000/kg). When this thermoelectric material is properly prepared, the changes cause reliable temperature anywhere between 14 and 266 ° F (-10 to 130 degrees C). The thermoelectric systems act reliably and precisely without the noise of conventional heating, cooling and cooling systems and without environmentally harmful chlorofluorocarbones (CFC).

For several years, the national administration of aeronautics and universe (NASA) has used the power of thermoelectric materials to power cosmic probes within the deepest range of space, so far from the Sun that solar panels are unnecessary. The process involves inserting nuclear material into the radioisotope thermal generator, in which a radiological disintegration for disintegration of thermal energy, which is then converted into electricity for the power supply. This is about youThe process that automotive engineers try to use from the exhaust heat of cars - heat that can be converted into electricity to convert the car.

Research and development in thermoelectric materials is carried out by the Energy Frontier Research Center in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, scientists have performed relatively significant discoveries, such as the interconnection of thermal failure and electronic structure at the final temperature. Current challenges in this area are identification or synthesizing new, yet undiscovered materials with more efficient thermoelectric abilities. Advances in this area may allow the development of materials that produce electricity from waste heat and provide a sustainable global energy solution.