Thermoelectric modules are solid-state devices that can directly convert heat to electricity and vice versa. This symposium will broadly cover a diverse range of topics, including all types of thermoelectric materials, generators and coolers, and their applications. Rapid progress has been recently made in discovery, fundamental understanding, and applications of thermoelectric materials and devices. In thermoelectric materials, not only do the high peak and average ZT of materials deserve attention, the mechanical properties, thermal stability, and oxidation resistance should be taken into consideration as well.
Moreover, the thermoelectric society requires more efforts on thermoelectric module/device design, joint and brazing materials, and fabrication processes because the overall device performance, rather than the material performance, is the key factor that motivates the investment and research input and leads to the real application for energy harvesting and cooling. For small footprint devices, exploring micro- and nanotechnology approaches allows us to address together micromodule fabrication and low-dimensional materials integration.
The overall intent of this symposium is to provide an opportunity for thermoelectric scientists and researchers to discuss critical issues and exchange their opinions in thermoelectric materials and device development, commercial application, and thermoelectric future.
Session topics
- Fundamentals of thermoelectric: Theoretical design of materials and device modeling
- Thermoelectric materials: synthesis and characterization of thermoelectric materials (bulk, thin film, heterostructures, and nanocomposites)
- Thermoelectric devices: Device fabrication, novel design for thermoelectric modules, thermal, and mechanical stability
- Applications: New ideas in thermoelectric applications, waste-heat recovery and cooling
Organizers
- Bed Poudel, Pennsylvania State University, USA, bup346@psu.edu
- Armin Feldhoff, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany, feldhoff@pci.uni-hannover.de
