Dresden 2009 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help

DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten

DS 35: Thermoelectric Thin Films and Nanostructures II

DS 35.2: Topical Talk

Thursday, March 26, 2009, 15:45–16:15, GER 38

Nanostructured layered thermoelectric oxides — •Anke Weidenkaff¹, Myriam Aguirre¹, Petr Tomes¹, Stefan Ebbinghaus², and Rosa Robert¹ — ¹Empa — ²Uni Halle

Heat from e.g. solar insolation could be used to provide electricity if the direct thermoelectric energy conversion, i.e. the transformation of heat into electricity becomes fast and highly efficient. For the realisation of an innovative ceramic thermoelectric converter, stable p- and n- type thermoelectric oxides are developed to be tested in Thermoelectric Oxide Modules (TOM). A very promising approach to reduce the thermal conductivity, which is leading to very high theoretical values of ZT, is to increase the amount of grain boundaries by producing nano-scaled semiconductor thermoelectric materials. Suitable candidates are perovskite-type materials. Tailor-made materials with various compositions are chosen and synthesized by chimie douce methods. The power factor is improved by appropriate variations of the composition and the crystallographic structure.