• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.227-233
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• 2011

The low efficiency of bulk thermoelectric materials has limited the widespread application of thermoelectric power generation. Theoretical and experimental investigations indicate that materials prepared in the form of nanowires show higher thermoelectric coefficients, thus promising to revolutionize the field. This article reviews the basics of thermoelectric power generation, conventional devices, the role of nanowires and the current status of the field.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.633-652
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• 2018

The present paper focuses on the development of a model for simulating the thermoelectric behavior of CNTs/CFRP Organic Matrix Composite (OMC) laminates for aeronautical applications. The model is developed within the framework of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes and implemented into commercial ABAQUS Finite Element software and validated by comparison with experimental thermoelectric tests on two types of composites materials, namely Type A with Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) and Type B without CNT. A simplified model, neglecting heat conduction, is also developed for simplifying the identification process. The model is then applied for FEM numerical simulation of the thermoelectric response of aircraft panel structures subjected to electrical loads, in order to discuss the potential danger coming from electrical solicitations. The structural simulations are performed on quasi-isotropic stacking sequences (QI) $[45/-45/90/0]_s$ using composite materials of type A and type B and compared with those obtained on plates made of metallic material (aluminum). For both tested cases-transit of electric current of intermediate intensity (9A) and electrical loading on panels made of composite material-higher heating intensity is observed in composites materials with respect to the corresponding metallic ones.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.141-146
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• 2020

Thermoelectric Bi₂Te₃ thin films were synthesized by a co-sputtering method at 300℃. A Fe dopant was considered to enhance the thermoelectric properties of the system. The Seebeck coefficient of the Fe-doped films increased whereas the electrical conductivity decreased. As a result, the power factor of the system increased owing to the enhanced Seebeck coefficient. Grain growth inhibition was detected in the Fe-doped system, which produced more grain boundaries in the Fe-doped films than in the undoped system. The increased grain boundary scattering was deemed to be effective for a reduced thermal conductivity. This is advantageous for the preparation of high-performance thermoelectric films.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.456-460
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• 2011

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-fabricated suspended devices were used to measure the in-plane electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity of 304 nm and 516 nm thick InGaAlAs films with 0.3% ErAs nanoparticle inclusions by volume. The suspended device allows comprehensive thermoelectric property measurements from a single thin film or nanowire sample. Both thin film samples have identical material compositions and the sole difference is in the sample thickness. The measured Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity were all larger in magnitude for the thicker sample. While the relative change in values was dependent on the temperature, the thermal conductivity demonstrated the largest decrease for the thinner sample in the measurement temperature range of 325 K to 425 K. This could be a result of the increased phonon scattering due to the surface defects and included ErAs nanoparticles. Similar to the results from other material systems, the combination of the measured data resulted in higher values of the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) for the thinner sample; this result supports the theory that the reduced dimensionality, such as in twodimensional thin films or one-dimensional nanowires, can enhance the thermoelectric figure of merit compared with bulk threedimensional materials. The results strengthen and provide a possible direction in locating and optimizing thermoelectric materials for energy applications.

• Vacuum Magazine
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.21-24
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• 2014

Thermolectric devices could convert temperature gradient into electricity (Seebeck effect) and electric power into temperature gradient across the themoelectric element (Peltier effect). $Bi_2Te_3$ has been widely used as thermoelectric material for more than 40 years, due to the superior thermoelctric characteristics. However, Bi and Te materials are predicted to face supply shortage, giving strong necessity for the development of new thermoelctric materials. Based on the theoretical prediction, nanostructure are expected to give dramatic enhnacement of thermoelectirc characteristics by controlling phonon propagation. Thus, silicon, which had been considered as improper material for thermoelectricity, is now being considered as strong cadidate material for thermoelectricity. This review will focus on the nanotechnology applied research activities in silicon as thermoelectric materials.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.04b
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• pp.17-17
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• 2009

We report the invention of a direct growth method termed On-Film Formation of Nanowire (OFF-ON) for making high-quality single-crystal nanowires, i.e. Bi and $Bi_2Te_3$, without the use of conventional templates, catalysts, or starting materials. We have used the OFF-ON technique to grow single crystal semi-metallic Bi and compound semiconductor $Bi_2Te_3$ nanowires from sputtered Bi and BiTe films after thermal annealing, respectively. The mechanism for nanowire growth is stress-induced mass flow along grain boundaries in the polycrystalline films. OFF-ON is a simple but powerful method for growing perfect single-crystal semi-metallic and compound semiconductor nanowires of high aspect ratio with high crystallinity that distinguishes it from other competitive growth approaches that have been developed to date. Our results suggest that Bi and $Bi_2Te_3$ nanowires grown by OFF-ON can be an ideal material system for exploring their unique thermoelectric properties due to their high-quality single crystalline and high conductivity, which have consequence and relevance for high-efficiency thermoelectric devices.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.445-449
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• 2021

Zintl compound Mg₃Sb₂ is a promising candidate for efficient thermoelectric material due to its small band gap energy and characteristic electron-crystal phonon-glass behavior. Furthermore, this compound enables fine tuning of carrier concentration via chemical doping for optimizing thermoelectric performance. In this study, nominal compositions of Mg_3.8Sb_2-xTe_x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.03) are synthesized through controlled melting and subsequent vacuum hot pressing method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are carried out to investigate phase development and surface morphology during the process. It should be noted that 16 at. % of excessive Mg must be added to the system to compensate for the loss of Mg during melting process. Herein, thermoelectric properties such as Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity are evaluated from low to high temperature regimes. The results show that Te substitution at Sb sites effectively tunes the majority carriers from holes to electrons, resulting in a transition from p to n-type. At 873 K, a peak ZT value of 0.27 is found for the specimen Mg_3.8Sb_1.99Te_0.01, indicating an improved ZT value over the intrinsic value.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.132-138
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• 2022

Zintl phase Mg₃Sb₂ is a promising thermoelectric material in medium to high temperature range due to its low band gap energy and characteristic electron-crystal phonon-glass behavior. P-type Mg₃Sb₂ has conventionally exhibited lower thermoelectric properties compared to its n-type counterparts, which have poor electrical conductivity. To address these problems, a small amount of Sn doping was considered in this alloy system. P-type Mg₃Sb₂ was synthesized by controlled melting, pulverizing, and subsequent vacuum hot pressing (VHP) method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate phases and microstructure development during the process. Single phase Mg₃Sb₂ was successfully formed when 16 at.% of Mg was excessively added to the system. Nominal compositions of Mg_3.8Sb_2-xSn_x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.008) were considered in this study. Thermoelectric properties were evaluated in terms of Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. A peak ZT value ≈ 0.32 was found for the specimen Mg_3.8Sb_1.994Sn_0.006 at 873 K, showing an improved ZT value compared to intrinsic one. Transport properties were also evaluated and discussed.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.272-276
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• 2007

P-type thermoelectric material $Si_{0.8}Ge_{0.2}$ was sintered by Hot Press process (HP) and the effect of boron ($0.25{\sim}2$ at%) addition on the thermoelectric properties were reported. To enhance the thermoelectric performances, the $Si_{0.8}Ge_{0.2}$, alloys were fabricated by mechanical alloying (MA) and HP. The carrier of p-type SiGe alloy was controlled by B-doping. The effect of sintering condition and thermoelectric properties were investigated. B-doped SiGe alloys exhibited positive seebeck coefficient. The electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity were increased at the small amount of boron content ($0.25{\sim}0.5$ at%). However, they were decreased over 0.5 at% boron content. As a result, the small addition of boron improved the Z value. The Z value of 0.5 at% B doped $Si_{0.8}Ge_{0.2}$ B alloy was $0.9{\times}10{-4}/K$, the highest value among the prepared alloys.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.66-69
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• 2017

The internal temperature of human-tissue transfers must be steadily maintained regardless of the external environmental changes. An ice pack and dry ice are the coolants for the transfer containers for which heat-insulating materials such as EPP (expended polypeopylene and EPS (expended polystrene) are used; however, changes of the external temperature/pressure and the melting of the coolants that is due to a long carriage result in changes of the internal temperature, and this makes it difficult to maintain the temperature. Accordingly, the thermoelectric element was used to design/manufacture a transfer container to maintain the internal temperature regardless of the external environmental changes. As a result of the measurement of the changes of the internal temperatures of the manufactured thermoelectric-element container and the EPS container over time, the internal temperature of the EPS container was increased, whereas the internal temperature of the thermoelectric-element container was maintained. The temperature of the distilled water that was poured into the containers indicated a pattern identical to that of the internal temperature.