Towards tellurium-free thermoelectric modules for power generation from low-grade heat
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
Thermoelectric technology converts heat into electricity directly and is a promising source of clean electricity. Commercial thermoelectric modules have relied on Bi2Te3-based compounds because of their unparalleled thermoelectric properties at temperatures associated with low-grade heat (<550 K). However, the scarcity of elemental Te greatly limits the applicability of such modules. Here we report the performance of thermoelectric modules assembled from Bi2Te3-substitute compounds, including p-type MgAgSb and n-type Mg3(Sb,Bi)2, by using a simple, versatile, and thus scalable processing routine. For a temperature difference of ~250 K, whereas a single-stage module displayed a conversion efficiency of ~6.5%, a module using segmented n-type legs displayed a record efficiency of ~7.0% that is comparable to the state-of-the-art Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric modules. Our work demonstrates the feasibility and scalability of high-performance thermoelectric modules based on sustainable elements for recovering low-grade heat.
Details
Original language | English |
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Article number | 1121 |
Journal | Nature communications |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2021 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMed | 33602944 |
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