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Micromachines
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Advances in Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials and Devices
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Advances in Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials and Devices

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D：Materials and Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 May 2023) | Viewed by 13373

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Weidi Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Interests: energy conversion; storage materials and technologies; thermoelectric materials; devices and applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. He Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Interests: crystal structure; synchrotron and neutron techniques; structure–performance relationship
Dr. Jianhui Qi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
Interests: design and optimisation of supercritical CO2 radial inflow turbines; turbomachinery (axial and radial) for energy conversion and propulsion; modeling of fluid- and thermodynamic systems (mainly the sCO2 Brayton cycles); clean combustion and pollutant controlling for biomass fuels

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thermoelectric technology can realize direct and reversible energy conversion between heat and electricity. Correspondingly, thermoelectric technology possesses various application advantages, such as being emission-free, eco-friendly, vibration-free, noise-free, scalable, maintenance-free, etc. With these advantages and the recent rapid development of thermoelectric materials, thermoelectric technology has demonstrated extensive application potential, including but not limited to localized temperature control, personal thermal management, portable freezing, building air-conditioning, waste heat recovery, space-mission power generation, etc. Regardless of the fast development of thermoelectric technology, various challenges remain unsolved and need to be further addressed, ranging from material engineering, understanding the material–structure relationship, device design and application integration, which have attracted ever-increasing research interest. In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions to our understanding of thermoelectric materials, devices, and their applications. Articles containing theoretical and experimental studies on thermoelectrics are welcome and may explore, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Theoretical simulation to understand the fundamental characteristics of state-of-art thermoelectric materials;
  • Advanced thermoelectric material synthesis, characterization and understanding the structure–performance relationship;
  • Novel thermoelectric material performance engineering strategies leading to high thermoelectric performance;
  • Thermoelectric device thermal/electrical transport property optimization leading to high device cooling/heating performance;
  • Novel thermoelectric device assembly techniques;
  • Thermoelectric application system design and integration;

Dr. Weidi Liu
Dr. He Zhu
Dr. Jianhui Qi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • thermoelectric
  • material
  • dimensionless figure of merit
  • device
  • application
  • coefficient of performance

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2314 KiB  
Article
Influence of Polyvinylpyrrolidone on Thermoelectric Properties of Melt-Mixed Polymer/Carbon Nanotube Composites
by Beate Krause, Sarah Imhoff, Brigitte Voit and Petra Pötschke
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010181 - 11 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2349
Abstract
For thermoelectric applications, both p- and n-type semi-conductive materials are combined. In melt-mixed composites based on thermoplastic polymers and carbon nanotubes, usually the p-type with a positive Seebeck coefficient (S) is present. One way to produce composites with a negative Seebeck coefficient is [...] Read more.
For thermoelectric applications, both p- and n-type semi-conductive materials are combined. In melt-mixed composites based on thermoplastic polymers and carbon nanotubes, usually the p-type with a positive Seebeck coefficient (S) is present. One way to produce composites with a negative Seebeck coefficient is to add further additives. In the present study, for the first time, the combination of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in melt-mixed composites is investigated. Polycarbonate (PC), poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), and poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) filled with SWCNTs and PVP were melt-mixed in small scales and thermoelectric properties of compression moulded plates were studied. It could be shown that a switch in the S-value from positive to negative values was only possible for PC composites. The addition of 5 wt% PVP shifted the S-value from 37.8 µV/K to −31.5 µV/K (2 wt% SWCNT). For PBT as a matrix, a decrease in the Seebeck coefficient from 59.4 µV/K to 8.0 µV/K (8 wt% PVP, 2 wt% SWCNT) could be found. In PEEK-based composites, the S-value increased slightly with the PVP content from 48.0 µV/K up to 54.3 µV/K (3 wt% PVP, 1 wt% SWCNT). In addition, the long-term stability of the composites was studied. Unfortunately, the achieved properties were not stable over a storage time of 6 or 18 months. Thus, in summary, PVP is not suitable for producing long-term stable, melt-mixed n-type SWCNT composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials and Devices)
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11 pages, 5698 KiB  
Article
Crystal Growth and Thermal Properties of Quasi-One-Dimensional van der Waals Material ZrSe3
by Youming Xu, Shucheng Guo and Xi Chen
Micromachines 2022, 13(11), 1994; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13111994 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2412
Abstract
ZrSe3 with a quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) crystal structure belongs to the transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs) family. Owing to its unique optical, electrical, and optoelectrical properties, ZrSe3 is promising for applications in field effect transistors, photodetectors, and thermoelectrics. Compared with extensive studies of [...] Read more.
ZrSe3 with a quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) crystal structure belongs to the transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs) family. Owing to its unique optical, electrical, and optoelectrical properties, ZrSe3 is promising for applications in field effect transistors, photodetectors, and thermoelectrics. Compared with extensive studies of the above-mentioned physical properties, the thermal properties of ZrSe3 have not been experimentally investigated. Here, we report the crystal growth and thermal and optical properties of ZrSe3. Millimeter-sized single crystalline ZrSe3 flakes were prepared using a chemical vapor transport method. These flakes could be exfoliated into microribbons by liquid-phase exfoliation. The transmission electron microscope studies suggested that the obtained microribbons were single crystals along the chain axis. ZrSe3 exhibited a specific heat of 0.311 J g−1 K−1 at 300 K, close to the calculated value of the Dulong–Petit limit. The fitting of low-temperature specific heat led to a Debye temperature of 110 K and an average sound velocity of 2122 m s−1. The thermal conductivity of a polycrystalline ZrSe3 sample exhibited a maximum value of 10.4 ± 1.9 W m−1 K−1 at 40 K. The thermal conductivity decreased above 40 K and reached a room-temperature value of 5.4 ± 1.3 W m−1 K−1. The Debye model fitting of the solid thermal conductivity agreed well with the experimental data below 200 K but showed a deviation at high temperatures, indicating that optical phonons could substantially contribute to thermal transport at high temperatures. The calculated phonon mean free path decreased with temperatures between 2 and 21 K. The mean free path at 2 K approached 3 μm, which was similar to the grain size of the polycrystalline sample. This work provides useful insights into the preparation and thermal properties of quasi-1D ZrSe3. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials and Devices)
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11 pages, 2668 KiB  
Article
Engineering Atomic-to-Nano Scale Structural Homogeneity towards High Corrosion Resistance of Amorphous Magnesium-Based Alloys
by Yuan Qin, Wentao Zhang, Kanghua Li, Shu Fu, Yu Lou, Sinan Liu, Jiacheng Ge, Huiqiang Ying, Wei-Di Liu, Xiaobing Zuo, Jun Shen, Shao-Chong Wei, Horst Hahn, Yang Ren, Zhenduo Wu, Xun-Li Wang, He Zhu and Si Lan
Micromachines 2022, 13(11), 1992; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13111992 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2140
Abstract
Magnesium-based amorphous alloys have aroused broad interest in being applied in marine use due to their merits of lightweight and high strength. Yet, the poor corrosion resistance to chloride-containing seawater has hindered their practical applications. Herein, we propose a new strategy to improve [...] Read more.
Magnesium-based amorphous alloys have aroused broad interest in being applied in marine use due to their merits of lightweight and high strength. Yet, the poor corrosion resistance to chloride-containing seawater has hindered their practical applications. Herein, we propose a new strategy to improve the chloride corrosion resistance of amorphous Mg65Cu15Ag10Gd10 alloys by engineering atomic-to-nano scale structural homogeneity, which is implemented by heating the material to the critical temperature of the liquid–liquid transition. By using various electrochemical, microscopic, and spectroscopic characterization methods, we reveal that the liquid–liquid transition can rearrange the local structural units in the amorphous structure, slightly decreasing the alloy structure’s homogeneity, accelerate the formation of protective passivation film, and, therefore, increase the corrosion resistance. Our study has demonstrated the strong coupling between an amorphous structure and corrosion behavior, which is available for optimizing corrosion-resistant alloys. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials and Devices)
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8 pages, 2081 KiB  
Article
Post-Electric Current Treatment Approaching High-Performance Flexible n-Type Bi2Te3 Thin Films
by Dongwei Ao, Wei-Di Liu, Fan Ma, Wenke Bao and Yuexing Chen
Micromachines 2022, 13(9), 1544; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13091544 - 17 Sep 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1792
Abstract
Inorganic n-type Bi2Te3 flexible thin film, as a promising near-room temperature thermoelectric material, has attracted extensive research interest and application potentials. In this work, to further improve the thermoelectric performance of flexible Bi2Te3 thin films, a post-electric [...] Read more.
Inorganic n-type Bi2Te3 flexible thin film, as a promising near-room temperature thermoelectric material, has attracted extensive research interest and application potentials. In this work, to further improve the thermoelectric performance of flexible Bi2Te3 thin films, a post-electric current treatment is employed. It is found that increasing the electric current leads to increased carrier concentration and electric conductivity from 1874 S cm−1 to 2240 S cm−1. Consequently, a high power factor of ~10.70 μW cm−1 K−2 at room temperature can be achieved in the Bi2Te3 flexible thin films treated by the electric current of 0.5 A, which is competitive among flexible n-type Bi2Te3 thin films. Besides, the small change of relative resistance <10% before and after bending test demonstrates excellent bending resistance of as-prepared flexible Bi2Te3 films. A flexible device composed of 4 n-type legs generates an open circuit voltage of ~7.96 mV and an output power of 24.78 nW at a temperature difference of ~35 K. Our study indicates that post-electric current treatment is an effective method in boosting the electrical performance of flexible Bi2Te3 thin films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials and Devices)
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Review

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16 pages, 3879 KiB  
Review
Thermoelectric-Powered Sensors for Internet of Things
by Huadeng Xie, Yingyao Zhang and Peng Gao
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010031 - 23 Dec 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3885
Abstract
The Internet of Things (IoT) combines various sensors and the internet to form an expanded network, realizing the interconnection between human beings and machines anytime and anywhere. Nevertheless, the problem of energy supply limits the large-scale implementation of the IoT. Fortunately, thermoelectric generators [...] Read more.
The Internet of Things (IoT) combines various sensors and the internet to form an expanded network, realizing the interconnection between human beings and machines anytime and anywhere. Nevertheless, the problem of energy supply limits the large-scale implementation of the IoT. Fortunately, thermoelectric generators (TEGs), which can directly convert thermal gradients into electricity, have attracted extensive attention in the IoT field due to their unique benefits, such as small sizes, long maintenance cycles, high stability, and no noise. Therefore, it is vital to integrate the significantly advanced research on TEGs into IoT. In this review, we first outline the basic principle of the thermoelectricity effect and summarize the common preparation methods for thermoelectric functional parts in TEGs. Then, we elaborate on the application of TEG-powered sensors in the human body, including wearable and implantable medical electronic devices. This is followed by a discussion on the application of scene sensors for IoTs, for example, building energy management and airliners. Finally, we provide a further outlook on the current challenges and opportunities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials and Devices)
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