Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.1
3.0
Journals
Inorganics
Special Issues
Advances in Thermoelectric Materials, 2nd Edition
share announcement

Advances in Thermoelectric Materials, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Inorganics (ISSN 2304-6740). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 2168

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marco Fronzi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
Interests: electronic structure theory: materials for energy conversion; magnetic and optical properties of matter; chemical–physical properties of surfaces; machine learning: automatic learning processes applied to condensed matter theory and materials discovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Paolo Mele

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Saitama 337-8570, Japan
Interests: thin films; oxides; superconductors; thermoelectrics; energy materials; heat transfer; vortex matter; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thermoelectric energy conversion represents an excellent and viable way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide energy security to an increasing global population. However, although significant improvements in the performance of thermoelectric materials have been recently achieved, the path for practical applications of thermoelectric devices still appears long.

Given the success of the first edition of this Special Issue, a second volume has been launched, aiming to publish a set of papers that will help discover novel thermoelectric materials and provide a deeper understanding of the properties of existing ones through the application of theoretical and experimental methods. In particular, the correlation between material structure and thermoelectric properties, thermal transport, and thermal conductivity is noteworthy.

The materials framework may include, but is not limited to, ceramics, oxides and chalcogenides, alloys and intermetallic structures, 2D structures, and nanoalloys that combine inorganic and organic components. Papers that report the application of well-consolidated approaches for materials discovery, and papers that report the development of new methods or the enhancement in existing approaches, are of particular interest.

Dr. Marco Fronzi
Prof. Dr. Paolo Mele
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. Inorganics 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 2200 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 materials energy conversion
  • greenhouse gas reduction
  • thermal transport
  • thermal conductivity
  • two-dimensional materials and nanoalloys
  • machine learning
  • theoretical and experimental methods

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

10 pages, 7542 KB  
Article
Thermoelectric Figure of Merit in a One-Dimensional Model with k4-Dispersion: An Extension of the Theory by Hicks and Dresselhaus
by Hiroyasu Matsuura and Masao Ogata
Inorganics 2025, 13(9), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13090310 - 22 Sep 2025
Viewed by 305
Abstract
Motivated by the strategy developed by Hicks and Dresselhaus in a quantum wire corresponding to a single-chain model with k2-dispersion, we study a one-dimensional double-chain model with two carriers of electrons and holes, characterized by k4-dispersion. To understand the [...] Read more.
Motivated by the strategy developed by Hicks and Dresselhaus in a quantum wire corresponding to a single-chain model with k2-dispersion, we study a one-dimensional double-chain model with two carriers of electrons and holes, characterized by k4-dispersion. To understand the role of the enhancement of the density of state derived from k4-dispersion, we calculate an optimized dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) depending on the side length of the cross section, a, in the same way as discussed by Hicks and Dresselhaus. We find that ZT enhances as a decreases similarly to the results obtained in the single-chain model, while the enhancement of ZT is smaller than that of single-chain model. We discuss the reason in connection with the difference of electronic state between the single- and double-chain models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoelectric Materials, 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

19 pages, 2810 KB  
Article
Bismuth-Doped Indium Oxide as a Promising Thermoelectric Material
by Haitao Zhang, Bo Feng, Tongqiang Xiong, Wenzheng Li, Tong Tang, Ruolin Ruan, Peng Jin, Guopeng Zhou, Yang Zhang, Kewei Wang, Yin Zhong, Yonghong Chen and Xiaoqiong Zuo
Inorganics 2025, 13(9), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13090277 - 22 Aug 2025
Viewed by 513
Abstract
Bismuth (Bi)-doped indium oxide (In2O3) has emerged as a promising thermoelectric material due to its tunable electrical and thermal properties. This study investigates the effects of Bi-doping on the thermoelectric performance of In2O3, focusing on [...] Read more.
Bismuth (Bi)-doped indium oxide (In2O3) has emerged as a promising thermoelectric material due to its tunable electrical and thermal properties. This study investigates the effects of Bi-doping on the thermoelectric performance of In2O3, focusing on its electrical conductivity, band structure, carrier concentration, mobility, Seebeck coefficient, power factor, thermal conductivity, and overall thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT). The incorporation of Bi into the In2O3 lattice significantly enhances the material’s electrical conductivity, attributed to the increased carrier concentration resulting from Bi acting as an effective dopant. However, this doping also leads to a broadening of the bandgap, which influences the electronic transport properties. The Seebeck coefficient (absolute value) is observed to decrease with Bi-doping, a consequence of the elevated carrier concentration. Despite this reduction, the overall power factor improves due to the substantial increase in electrical conductivity. Furthermore, Bi-doping effectively reduces both the total thermal conductivity and the lattice thermal conductivity of In2O3. This reduction is primarily due to enhanced phonon scattering caused by the introduction of Bi atoms, which disrupt the lattice periodicity and introduce point defects. The combined improvement in electrical conductivity and reduction in thermal conductivity results in a significant enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) with highest ZT value increased from 0.055 to 0.402 at 973 K. The optimized Bi-doped In2O3 samples demonstrate a ZT value that surpasses that of undoped In2O3, highlighting the potential of Bi-doping for advancing thermoelectric applications. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing the thermoelectric properties of Bi-doped In2O3 and offers valuable insights into the design of high-performance thermoelectric materials for energy conversion technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoelectric Materials, 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1831 KB  
Article
Eskebornite CuFeSe2: Solid-State Synthesis and Thermoelectric Properties
by Se-Hyeon Choi and Il-Ho Kim
Inorganics 2025, 13(7), 216; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13070216 - 27 Jun 2025
Viewed by 600
Abstract
Eskebornite (CuFeSe2), a member of the I–III–VI2 ternary semiconductor family, was explored in this study as a potential thermoelectric material, offering new insights into its synthesis, structural characteristics, and transport behavior. Structurally analogous to chalcopyrite (CuFeS2)—an extensively studied [...] Read more.
Eskebornite (CuFeSe2), a member of the I–III–VI2 ternary semiconductor family, was explored in this study as a potential thermoelectric material, offering new insights into its synthesis, structural characteristics, and transport behavior. Structurally analogous to chalcopyrite (CuFeS2)—an extensively studied antiferromagnetic semiconductor—eskebornite remains relatively underexplored, particularly regarding its solid-state synthesis and thermoelectric performance. To address this gap, pure eskebornite was synthesized via mechanical alloying followed by hot pressing, a method that enables the fine control of its phase composition and microstructural features. The synthesized undoped CuFeSe2 exhibited p-type nondegenerate semiconducting behavior, with electrical conductivity increasing monotonically over the temperature range of 323–623 K, indicative of thermally activated carrier transport. Simultaneously, a decreasing trend in thermal conductivity with temperature was observed, likely resulting from intensified phonon scattering, which serves to suppress heat transport and enhance the thermoelectric efficiency by maintaining a thermal gradient across the material. A peak in the Seebeck coefficient occurred between 473 and 523 K, suggesting the onset of intrinsic carrier excitation and a transition in dominant carrier transport mechanisms. The material exhibited a maximum power factor of 1.55 μWm−1K−2, while the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) reached a peak value of 0.37 × 10−3 at 523 K. Although the ZT remains low, these results underscore the potential of eskebornite as a thermoelectric candidate, with substantial room for optimization through chemical doping, microstructural engineering, or nanostructuring approaches to enhance the carrier mobility and reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoelectric Materials, 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

32 pages, 3558 KB  
Review
Thermoelectric Materials for Spintronics: From Physical Principles to Innovative Half Metallic Ferromagnets, Devices, and Future Perspectives
by Alessandro Difalco and Alberto Castellero
Inorganics 2025, 13(10), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13100332 - 2 Oct 2025
Viewed by 485
Abstract
Over the last century, improvements in computational power resulting from the exponential growth of microelectronics have been the driving force of outstanding global economic growth as well as of deep changes in society and ethical values. Manufacturing of silicon-based memory cells has, as [...] Read more.
Over the last century, improvements in computational power resulting from the exponential growth of microelectronics have been the driving force of outstanding global economic growth as well as of deep changes in society and ethical values. Manufacturing of silicon-based memory cells has, as a matter of fact, become an industry of strategic importance also from a geopolitical perspective. Despite such advancements, a lot of concern has recently aroused as physical limitations such as tunnel-effect phenomena, current leakage, and high power consumption are increasingly hindering further improvements in dynamic random-access memory. Spintronic technologies are promising alternatives to overcome such issues, being considered no longer merely an academic subject of interest, but increasingly becoming an industrial reality. In this review work, the history and the physical principles of spintronic devices are presented, focussing on new, groundbreaking materials. Concepts are exposed step by step and in an easy-to-understand manner, allowing even researchers who are not specialized in the fields of spintronics, microelectronics, and hardware engineering to understand the fundamentals and gain initial insight into the topic. Special attention is paid to half-metallic ferromagnets and Heusler alloys, which are considered among the most promising materials for the future of spintronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoelectric Materials, 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop