Thermoelectric materials are commonly found in thermocouples (Seebeck effect) and small-size coolers (Peltier effect). Their use in energy recovery from wasted heat is still not
commercially viable due to the high cost of the materials and their relatively
low performance. Modern research focuses on materials that combine low cost and
toxicity (e.g. type-I clathrate Cs8Sn44 and sulphide tetrahedrite Cu12Sb4S13)
as well as high stability under operating conditions. The
synthesis of these materials is performed via high-temperature solid-state
methods or alternatively
via high-energy ball milling.
Our research group emphasizes on the effect of the morphology of the materials
on their physical properties in order to optimize their thermoelectric
efficiency. Moreover, the combination of photovoltaic and thermoelectric modules is studied for improved energy conversion efficiency.
