Thermodynamic Performance of Three-Terminal Hybrid Quantum Dot Thermoelectric Devices

We propose four different models of three-terminal quantum dot thermoelectric devices. From general thermodynamic laws, we examine the rew;rsible efficiencies of the four different models. Based on the master equation, the expressions for the efficiency and power output are derived and the corresponding working regions are determined. Moreover, we particularly analyze the performance of a three-terminal hybrid quantum dot refrigerator. The performance characteristic curves and the optimal performance parameters are obtained. Finally, we discuss the influence of the nonradiative effects on the optimal performance parameters in detail.

Thermoelectric generators and their applications:Progress,challenges,and future prospects

Our community currently deals with issues such as rising electricity costs,pollution,and global warming.Scientists work to improve energy harvesting-based power generators in order to reduce their impacts.The Seebeck effect has been used to illustrate the capacity of thermoelectric generators(TEGs)to directly convert thermal energy to electrical energy.They are also ecologically beneficial since they do not include chemical products,function quietly because they lack mechanical structures and/or moving components,and may be built using different fabrication technologies such as three-dimentional(3D)printing,silicon technology,and screen printing,etc.TEGs are also position-independent and have a long operational lifetime.TEGs can be integrated into bulk and flexible devices.This review gives further investigation of TEGs,beginning with a full discussion of their operating principle,kinds,materials utilized,figure of merit,and improvement approaches,which include various thermoelectric material arrangements and utilised technologies.This paper also discusses the use of TEGs in a variety of disciplines such as automobile and biomedical.

Design of flexible inorganic thermoelectric devices for decrease of heat loss

Thermoelectric(TE)devices can realize the conversion of heat energy and electrical power based on Seebeck effect and Peltier effect.Among them,flexible TE devices have received more attention recently due to their better attachment to various heat sources and aimed components with arbitrary shapes.To improve the performance of flexible TE devices for various application scenarios,large efforts have been made to design the leg patterns,the electrical and thermal contact issues,and the substrate and encapsulation materials for the decrease of heat loss.This paper is to review the advancements about the design of flexible inorganic TE devices over the last decade.Firstly,the design of flexible thin-film TE devices based on the direction of temperature gradient,including the patterns of TE legs,the fabrication methods,and the flexible substrate materials is summarized.Secondly,the design of wearable TE devices that contains common architecture of the module,the substrates and encapsulations,the electrical and thermal contact,and some thin-film based wearable devices with curving TE legs is demonstrated.Thirdly,the characterizations of the flexibility of TE devices and the current applications are outlined.Moreover,some views about the future development for TE devices are proposed.

Optimal array alignment to deliver high performance in flexible conducting polymer-based thermoelectric devices

Flexible thermoelectric devices(F-TEDs)show great potentials to be applied in curved surface for power generation by harvesting low-grade energy from human body and other heat sources.However,their power generation efficiency is constrained by both unsatisfactory constituent materials performance and immature device design.Here,we used an optimal alignment of vertically-aligned poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)polystyrene sulfonate(PEDOT:PSS)arrays to assemble a 2.7×3.2 cm^(2)F-TEDs,exhibiting a maximum power output of 10.5μW.Such a high performance can be ascribed to the outstanding power factor of 198μW m^(-1)K^(-2)by the synergetic effect of both high charge mobility and optimal oxidation level and the optimized array alignment that maximizes the temperature difference utilization ratio across the TE legs.Particularly,optimized leg distance of 6 mm and leg length of 12 mm are determined to realize a high temperature difference utilization ratio of over 95%and a record-high output power density of 1.21μW cm^(-2)under a temperature difference of 30 K.Further,reliable bending(1000 cycles)and stability(240 h)tests indicate the outstanding mechanical robustness and environmental stability of the developed F-TEDs.This study indicates our reasonable device design concept and facile material treatment techniques secure high-performance F-TEDs,serving as a reference for other flexible energy harvesting devices with wide practical applications.

Efficient thermal management and all-season energy harvesting using adaptive radiative cooling and a thermoelectric power generator

Passive daytime radiative cooling(PDRC) is useful for thermal management because it allows an object to emit terrestrial heat into space without the use of additional energy.To produce sub-ambient temperatures under direct sunlight,PDRC materials are designed to reduce their absorption of solar energy and to enhance their long-wavelength infrared(LWIR) emissivity.In recent years,many photonic structures and polymer composites have been studied to improve the cooling system of buildings.However,in cold weather(i.e. during winter in cold climates),buildings need to be kept warm rather than cooled due to heat loss.To overcome this limitation,temperature-responsive radiative cooling is a promising alternative.In the present study,adaptive radiative cooling(ARC) film fabricated from a polydimethylsiloxane/hollow SiO_(2) microsphere/thermochromic pigment composite was investigated.We found that the ARC film absorbed solar radiation under cold conditions while exhibiting radiative cooling at ambient temperatures above 40℃.Thus,in outdoor experiments,the ARC film achieved sub-ambient temperatures and had a theoretical cooling power of 63.2 W/m~2 in hot weather.We also demonstrated that radiative cooling with an energy harvesting system could be used to improve the energy management of buildings,with the thermoelectric module continuously generating output power using the ARC film.Therefore,we believe that our proposed ARC film can be employed for efficient thermal management of buildings and all-season energy harvesting in the near future.

Inorganic and Organic Solution-Processed Thin Film Devices

Thin films and thin film devices have a ubiquitous presence in numerous conventional and emerging technologies. This is because of the recent advances in nanotechnology, the development of functional and smart materials,conducting polymers, molecular semiconductors, carbon nanotubes, and graphene, and the employment of unique properties of thin films and ultrathin films, such as high surface area, controlled nanostructure for effective charge transfer, and special physical and chemical properties, to develop new thin film devices. This paper is therefore intended to provide a concise critical review and research directions on most thin film devices, including thin film transistors, data storage memory, solar cells, organic light-emitting diodes, thermoelectric devices, smart materials, sensors, and actuators. The thin film devices may consist of organic, inorganic, and composite thin layers, and share similar functionality, properties, and fabrication routes. Therefore, due to the multidisciplinary nature of thin film devices, knowledge and advances already made in one area may be applicable to other similar areas. Owing to the importance of developing low-cost, scalable, and vacuum-free fabrication routes, this paper focuses on thin film devices that may be processed and deposited from solution.

Performance of thermoelectric generator with graphene nanofluid cooling

Improvement of the heat transfer of the cold side is one of the approaches to enhance the performance of TEG systems. As a new type of heat transfer media, nanofluids can enhance the heat transfer performance of working liquid signiticantly. Based on a three-dimensional and steady-state numerical model,the heat transfer and thermoelectric conversion properties of TEG systems were studied. Graphene anoplatelet aqueous nanoftuids were used as the coolants for the cold side of the TEG system to improve the heat transfer capacity of the cold side. The results showed that the heat absorbed by the hot side, voltage, output power, and conversion efficiency of the TEG system were increased greatly by the nanoftuid coolants. The output power and the conversion efficiency using 0.1-wt% graphene nanoplatelet aqueous nanofluid as the coolant are enhanced by 26.39% and 14.74%, respectively.

Thermoelastic stress analysis of multilayered films in a micro-thermoelectric cooling device

This paper presents an analytical solution for the thermoelastic stress in a typical in-plane＇s thin-film micro- thermoelectric cooling device under different operating con- ditions. The distributions of the permissible temperature fields in multilayered thin-films are analytically obtained, and the characteristics, including maximum temperature dif- ference and maximum refrigerating output of the thermo- electric device, are discussed for two operating conditions. Analytical expressions of the thermoelastic stresses in the layered thermoelectric thin-films induced by the tempera- ture difference are formulated based on the theory of mul- tilayer system. The results demonstrate that, the geometric dimension is a significant factor which remarkably affects the thermoelastic stresses. The stress distributions in layers of semiconductor thermoelements, insulating and support- ing membrane show distinctly different features. The present work may profitably guide the optimization design of high- efficiency micro-thermoelectric cooling devices.

Recent advances in organic,inorganic,and hybrid thermoelectric aerogels

The thermoelectric(TE)materials and corresponding TE devices can achieve direct heat-to-electricity conversion,thus have wide applications in heat energy harvesting(power generator),wearable electronics and local cooling.In recent years,aerogel-based TE materials have received considerable attention and have made remarkable progress because of their unique structural,electrical and thermal properties.In this review,the recent progress in both organic,inorganic,and composite/hybrid TE aerogels is systematically summarized,including the main constituents,preparation method,TE performance,as well as factors affecting the TE performance and the corresponding mechanism.Moreover,two typical aerogel-based TE devices/generators are compared and analyzed in terms of assembly modes and output performance.Finally,the present challenges and some tentative suggestions for future research prospects are provided in conclusion.

High-performance magnesium-based thermoelectric materials:Progress and challenges

Magnesium-based materials have been regarded as promising candidates for large-scale,high-efficiency thermoelectric applications,owing to their excellent dimensionless figure of merit,high abundance,and low cost.In this review,we comprehensively summarize the recent advances of Mg-based thermoelectrics,including Mg_(2)X(X=Si,Ge,Sn),Mg3(Sb,Bi)_(2),andα-MgAgSb,from both material and device level.Their electrical and thermal transport properties are first elucidated based on the crystallographic characteristics,band structures,and phonon dispersions.We then review the optimization strategies towards higher thermoelectric performance,as well as the device applications of Mg-based thermoelectric materials and the related engineering issues.By highlighting the challenges and possible solutions in the end,this review intends to offer perspectives on the future research work to further enhance the performance of Mg-based materials for practical applications.

Performance optimization of a class of combined thermoelectric heating devices

A detailed model of thermally-driven combined thermoelectric(TE) heating device is established. The device consists of twostage TE heat pump(TTEH) and two-stage TE generator(TTEG) with four external heat exchangers(HEXs). Both internal losses and external heat transfer irreversibilities are considered in the model. The heating capacity and the coefficient of performance(COP) of the device are improved through numerical optimization,which is of great significance to the application of the device. The distribution of the total TE element number among four TE devices and the distribution of the total external heat conductance among the four external HEXs are optimized. The results show that both the reservoir temperatures of TTEG and TTEH have significant influences on the performance and the corresponding optimum parameters of the device. The COP can reach 0.14 after optimization when the temperature difference of heat source is 150 K and the temperature difference of heating is 10 K.

A review of CoSb_(3)-based skutterudite thermoelectric materials

The binary skutterudite CoSb_(3) is a narrow bandgap semiconductor thermoelectric(TE)material with a relatively flat band structure and excellent electrical performance.However,thermal conductivity is very high because of the covalent bond between Co and Sb,resulting in a very low ZT value.Therefore,researchers have been trying to reduce its thermal conductivity by the different optimization methods.In addition,the synergistic optimization of the electrical and thermal transport parameters is also a key to improve the ZT value of CoSb_(3) material because the electrical and thermal transport parameters of TE materials are closely related to each other by the band structure and scattering mechanism.This review summarizes the main research progress in recent years to reduce the thermal conductivity of CoSb_(3)-based materials at atomic-molecular scale and nano-mesoscopic scale.We also provide a simple summary of achievements made in recent studies on the non-equilibrium preparation technologies of CoSb_(3)-based materials and synergistic optimization of the electrical and thermal transport parameters.In addition,the research progress of CoSb_(3)-based TE devices in recent years is also briefly discussed.

Energy and exergy analyses and optimizations for two-stage TEC driven by two-stage TEG with Thomson effect

Based on the non-equilibrium thermodynamics and energy and exergy analyses,a thermodynamic model of two-stage thermoelectric(TE)cooler(TTEC)driven by two-stage TE generator(TTEG)(TTEG-TTEC)combined TE device is established with involving Thomson effect by fitting method of variable physical parameters of TE materials.Taking total number of TE elements as constraint,influences of number distributions of TE elements on three device performance indictors,that is,cooling load,maximum COP and maximum exergetic efficiency,are analyzed.Three number distributions of TE elements are optimized with three maximum performance indictors as the objectives,respectively.Influences of hot-junction temperature of TTEG and coldjunction temperature of TTEC on optimization results are analyzed,and difference between optimization results corresponding to three performance indicators are studied.Optimal performance intervals and optimal variable intervals are provided.Influences of Thomson effect on three general performance indicators,three optimal performance indicators and optimal variables are comparatively discussed.Thomson effect reduces three general performance indicators and three optimal performance indicators of device.When hot-and cold-junction temperatures of TTEG and TTEC are 450,305,325 and 295 K,respectively,Thomson effect reduced maximum cooling load,maximum COP and maximum exergetic efficiency from 9.528 W,9.043×10^(-2)and2.552%to 6.651 W,6.286×10^(-2)and 1.752%,respectively.

Intermolecular coupling enhanced thermopower in single-molecule diketopyrrolopyrrole junctions

Sorting out organic molecules with high thermopower is essential for understanding molecular thermoelectrics.The intermolecular coupling offers a unique chance to enhance the thermopower by tuning the bandgap structure of molecular devices,but the investigation of intermolecular coupling in bulk materials remains challenging.Herein,we investigated the thermopower of diketopyrrolopyrrole(DPP)cored single-molecule junctions with different coupling strengths by varying the packing density of the self-assembled monolayers(SAM)using a customized scanning tunneling microscope break junction(STM-BJ)technique.We found that the thermopower of DPP molecules could be enhanced up to one order of magnitude with increasing packing density,suggesting that the thermopower increases with larger neighboring intermolecular interactions.The combined density functional theory(DFT)calculations revealed that the closely-packed configuration brings stronger intermolecular coupling and then reduces the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO)gap,leading to an enhanced thermopower.Our findings offer a new strategy for developing organic thermoelectric devices with high thermopower.

Quantum interference enhanced thermopower in single-molecule thiophene junctions

Quantum interference(QI)effects,which offer unique opportunities to widely manipulate the charge transport properties in the molecular junctions,will have the potential for achieving high thermopower.Here we developed a scanning tunneling microscope break junction technique to investigate the thermopower through single-molecule thiophene junctions.We observed that the thermopower of 2,4-TPSAc with destructive quantum interference(DQI)was nearly twice of 2,5-TP-SAc without DQI,while the conductance of the 2,4-TP-SAc was two orders of magnitude lower than that of 2,5-TP-SAc.Furthermore,we found the thermopower was almost the same by altering the anchoring group or thiophene core in the control experiments,suggesting that the QI effect is responsible for the increase of thermopower.The density functional theory(DFT)calculations are in quantitative agreement with the experimental data.Our results reveal that QI effects can provide a promising platform to enhance the thermopower of molecular junctions.

A flexible and smart shape memory alloy composite sheet based on efficient and bidirectional thermal management

Leveraging advances in shape memory alloys(SMAs)and flexible thermoelectric devices(f-TEDs),this paper presents a structural and functional integrity composite sheet to address the inefficient and bulky activation of 2-D SMAs.A series of experimental tests were performed to reveal the generation,change,and transfer mechan-isms of different types of electrically-induced heat in the f-TED,as well as the temperature-induced SMA phase transformation beha-viors.The results show that the composite sheet exhibited good bidirectional thermal management capacity.The austenite defor-mation can be completed within 10s at an operating current of 2 A.The cooling recovery,in particular,performs much better than in conventional modes(the temperature declines exponentially with time).Finally,through two functional prototypes,a light switch and a flexible gripper,the application potential of the proposed com-posite was further experimentally demonstrated.