Best thermoelectric efficiency of ever-explored materials

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Thermodynamics
• Energy Conversion

Background:

• Thermoelectric devices convert heat directly into electricity.
• High thermoelectric efficiency is desired, but material evaluation has focused less on efficiency limits.
• The maximum achievable thermoelectric efficiency remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the highest possible thermoelectric efficiency across a vast material dataset.
• To evaluate thermoelectric efficiency based on material properties and device configurations.
• To identify the theoretical limits of thermoelectric efficiency for different device types.

Main Methods:

• Calculated 97,841,810 thermoelectric efficiencies for 12,645 materials.
• Utilized 808,610 device configurations under varying heat-source temperatures (300 K cold-side).
• Solved one-dimensional thermoelectric integral equations with temperature-dependent properties.

Main Results:

• Infinite-cascade devices can achieve >33% efficiency when heat-source temperature exceeds 1400 K.
• Single-stage devices show a maximum efficiency of 17.1% at 860 K.
• Leg segmentation enables 24% efficiency at 1100 K.

Conclusions:

• Thermoelectric efficiency is highly dependent on material properties, device configuration, and operating temperature.
• Advanced device designs like infinite-cascade and leg segmentation are crucial for maximizing thermoelectric energy conversion.
• Significant potential exists for high-efficiency thermoelectric power generation at elevated temperatures.