Influencing thermoelectric transport using crystal chemistry

Thermoelectric materials convert thermal energy into electrical energy. The efficiency of a thermoelectric material strongly depends on properties such as the thermopower, electrical and thermal conductivity. We probe how the transport behavior of these materials changes when the composition and the structures are strategically altered. We are currently working on a deeper understanding of how local bonding interactions influence the electric and thermal transport behavior.

Selected papers:

Zeier W.G. et al. “Engineering half-Heusler thermoelectric materials using Zintl chemistry“ Nature Rev. Mater. 2016, 16032 – doi:10.1038/natrevmats.2016.32

Zeier W.G. et al. “Thinking like a chemist: intuition in thermoelectric materials“ Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55 (24), 6826-6841, doi:10.1002/anie.201508381

Hanus R. et al. “A chemical understanding for the band convergence in CoSb₃ skutterudites: influence of electron population, local thermal expansion and bonding interactions” Chem. Mater. 2017, 29, 1156-1164 doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b04506