Increasing Thermoelectric Efficiency by Using the Phonon-Glass/Electron-Crystal

Approach

Jason Chiu

Need1990 1996 1990-96

Sector MTCE MTCE MTCE Increase Increase

Residential 556,441 

697,861 

141,420 25%

Commercial 368,972 482,846 

113,874 31%

Industrial 152,399 190,948 

38,549 25%

Transportation 1,020,868 1,071,085 50,217 5%

Electric Utility 120,829 1,430,669 1,309,840 1084%

Total 2,219,509 

3,873,409 1,653,900 75%

Generated by Brown University

Thermoelectricity

http://www.arborsci.com/detail.aspx?ID=430

Seebeck Effect

Generated by Cornell University

Efficiency of Thermoelectric Materials

Generated by Tritt, 07

Tritt, 2007

• 60% wasted• Low efficiency still saves a lot

Dresselhaus et al 2007

Bottner et al 2006

Yang and Caillat 2006

Subramanian 2006

• Now=Bi2Te3

• Potential: Phonon-Glass/Electron-Glass approach

Purpose

• The purpose of this experiment is to increase the efficiency of thermoelectric materials.

Hypothesis

• Alternate: The thermoelectric material with SiO2 will show increased efficiency.

• Null: The SiO2 structured material will have no effect on the the efficiency.

Connect each module and material to a mulitmeter. Then turn on the heat emitter and collect data after heating the module

for ten minutes. Test each material one time per period.

Buy silicon dioxide substrates and thermoelectric elements. Then glue the SiO2 onto the thermoelectric elements to create the new material

Test different thermoelectric materials: 1 created group, 2 control groups

Create Silicon Dioxide Thermoelectric material

Purchase Bismuth Telluride Thermoelectric module and do not

change the subsrate

Purchase Lead Telluride Thermoelectric module and do not change substrate

Statistical analysis using One-Way ANOVA followed by a Scheffe post hoc test to see if there is a significant difference between the

proposed new material and the one’s currently being used

Budget Plan

Vendor Object Price

TE Technology PbTe Thermoelectric Power Generator $40.90

Custom Thermoelectric Bi2Te3 Thermoelectric Power Generator $52.50

Arrayit Corporation Barcoded SuperClean 2 Substrates $59.20

Petco Clamp Lamp $12.00

Petco Zoo Med Repticare Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitters $35.00

RadioShack Multimeter $20.00

Crystal Ltd. Thermoelectric Elements $39.40

Bibliography• Bottner, Harald, Gang Chen, and Rama Venkatasubramanian. "Aspects of Thin-Film Superlattice

Thermoelectric Materials, Devices, and Applications." MRS Bulletin 31 (2006): 211-17. • Brown University Center for Environmental Studies. "Fossil Fuels." Brown University.

<http://www.brown.edu/Research/EnvStudies_Theses/GHG/Sections/Fossil_Fuel.htm>. • Dresselhaus, Mildred S., Gang Chen, Ming Y. Tang, Ronggui Yang, Hohyun Lee, Dezhi Wang,

Zhifeng Ren, Jean-Pierre Fleurial, and Pawan Gogna. "New Directions for Low-Dimensional Thermoelectric Materials." Advanced Materials 19 (2007): 1-12.

• "History." Thermoelectrics. Caltech. <http://www.thermoelectrics.caltech.edu/history_page.htm>.• Nolas, G.S., D.T. Morelli, and Terry M. Tritt. "SKUTTERUDITES: A Phonon-Glass-Electron Crystal

Approach to Advanced Thermoelectric Energy Conversion Applications." Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci. 29 (1999): 89-116.

• "Peltier Effect." Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica Inc, 2007. • "Seebeck." Chemistry. Institute of Chemistry at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

<http://chem.ch.huji.ac.il/history/seebeck.html>.• "Seebeck Effect." Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica Inc, 2007. • "Thermoelectrics (Intro to TE)." Cornell Chemistry. Cornell University.

<http://www.chem.cornell.edu/fjd3/thermo/intro.html>. • Tritt, Terry M., and M.A. Subramanian. "Thermoelectric Materials, Phenomena, and Applications: A

Bird's Eye View." MRS Bulletin 31 (2006): 188-98. • Tritt, Terry M., Harald Bottner, and Lidong Chen. "Thermoelectrics: Direct Solar Thermal Energy

Conversion." MRS Bulletin 33 (38): 366-68. • Yang, Jihui, and Thierry Caillat. "Thermoelectric Materials for Space and Automative Power

Generation." MRS Bulletin 31 (2006): 224-29. • Zhang et al. “How to recuperate industrial waste heat beyond time and space.” International Journal of

Exergy, 2009; 6 (2): 214