Artificial thermal flow control on thermoelectric device by tuning electrode absorptivity

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Thermoelectric conversion directly converts heat to electricity via the Seebeck effect.
• Conventional thermoelectric devices typically have symmetrical optical properties at hot and cold ends.
• The direction of thermal flow is generally not influenced by electrode configuration or absorptivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the reversal of thermal flow in a thermoelectric element by manipulating electrode absorptivity.
• To explore the impact of electrode material properties on thermoelectric performance under uniform thermal radiation.
• To establish a new design principle for thermoelectric devices.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing p-type thermoelectric elements with metamaterial and fullerene electrodes.
• Applying uniform thermal radiation at 364 K to the thermoelectric elements.
• Measuring output voltages generated by varying electrode absorptivity.

Main Results:

• Successfully reversed thermal flow by adjusting electrode absorptivity.
• Achieved significant output voltages (19.0 V and -4.0 V) using different electrodes (metamaterial and fullerene).
• Demonstrated power generation using a specially designed thermoelectric device with tailored electrode absorptivity.

Conclusions:

• Electrode absorptivity is a critical factor that can control thermal flow direction in thermoelectric devices.
• This finding provides a novel approach for designing advanced thermoelectric generators.
• The study offers valuable device guidelines for optimizing conventional thermoelectric systems.