热电材料与发电器件的进展和挑战

Progress and challenges in thermoelectric materials and generators

热电/温差电效应是一种能够实现热能和电能直接相互转换的环境友好型能源技术,基于该技术的热电发电器件的应用,有望成为缓解能源问题的可行方案。文章主要介绍了中高温区p型和n型热电材料的最新研究进展,重点论述了可能应用于热电发电器件的几种典型热电材料体系的相关优缺点。此外,还回顾了目前中高温区热电发电器件的研究现状,尝试给出了目前亟待突破的壁垒,最后讨论并展望了热电发电器件的发展前景与未来研究方向。

The thermoelectric effect is an eco-friendly energy technology that can directly convert heat into electricity,or vice versa.It is hoped that thermoelectric generators based on the Seebeck effect can alleviate the energy crisis.A brief overview of the development of medium-temperature p-and n-type thermoelectric materials is presented.The pros and cons of candidate thermoelectric material systems for electricity generators are considered,while the research opportunities and challenges are highlighted to promote future potential applications.