Submit to Nanomaterials Review for Nanomaterials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanoelectronics, Nanosensors and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 15912

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications book cover image

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ting Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Interests: thermoelectrics; hydrogen storage; thermal transport and recovery; fiber-based devices for energy harvest and storage

Prof. Dr. Peng Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
Interests: novel high-performance thermoelectric materials and devices; nanoscale thermal transfer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thermoelectric modules can achieve energy conversion between heat and electricity, which are generally used for power generation or electronic refrigeration, and are important in solving energy crises and environmental pollution. However, the efficiency of existing thermoelectric materials is inferior to that of heat engines under the same operating conditions. Nanomaterials such as superlattices, quantum dots, nanowires, and nanocomposite are considered as one of the most effective methods for decoupling the thermoelectric parameters (e.g., electric conductivity, thermal conductivity, and Seebeck coefficient) to enhance the performance of thermoelectric materials.

We are pleased to invite authors in the field to contribute high-quality original research papers and systematic review articles covering the preparation, measurement, device, and application based on thermoelectric nanomaterials. This Special Issue intends to summarize the latest developments towards highly efficient thermoelectric nanomaterials and thermoelectric devices. In this special issue, research areas may include but are not limited to:

Nanostructures and nanocomposites of thermoelectric materials;
Thermoelectric crystals and thermoelectric transport properties;
Characterization of thermoelectric materials;
Two-dimensional thermoelectric films;
Fiber-based thermoelectric materials and devices;
Applications of thermoelectric devices;
Thermoelectric measurement of nanomaterials.

Prof. Dr. Ting Zhang
Prof. Dr. Peng Jiang
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. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2900 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

nanostructure
thermoelectric materials
figure of merit
seebeck effect
thermal conductivity
electric conductivity
thermoelectric transport

Published Papers (11 papers)

Download All Papers

Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 199 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications

by Ting Zhang

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(24), 3165; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13243165 - 18 Dec 2023

Viewed by 882

Abstract

Recently, there has been growing academic interest in researching thermoelectric materials that exhibit energy conversion capability between thermal energy and electricity, providing solutions to energy crises and environmental pollution [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

16 pages, 4358 KiB

Open AccessArticle

N-Type Coating of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Polydopamine-Mediated Nickel Metallization

by Cordelia Zimmerer, Frank Simon, Sascha Putzke, Astrid Drechsler, Andreas Janke and Beate Krause

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(20), 2813; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13202813 - 23 Oct 2023

Viewed by 926

Abstract

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have unique thermal and electrical properties. Coating them with a thin metal layer can provide promising materials for many applications. This study presents a bio-inspired, environmentally friendly technique for CNT metallization using polydopamine (PDA) as an adhesion promoter, followed by electroless plating with nickel. To improve the dispersion in the aqueous reaction baths, part of the SWCNTs was oxidized prior to PDA coating. The SWCNTs were studied before and after PDA deposition and metallization by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, scanning force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These methods verified the successful coating and revealed that the distribution of PDA and nickel was significantly improved by the prior oxidation step. Thermoelectric characterization showed that the PDA layer acted as a p-dopant, increasing the Seebeck coefficient S of the SWCNTs. The subsequent metallization decreased S, but no negative S-values were reached. Both coatings affected the volume conductivity and the power factor, too. Thus, electroless metallization of oxidized and PDA-coated SWCNTs is a suitable method to create a homogeneous metal layer and to adjust their conduction type, but more work is necessary to optimize the thermoelectric properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 15370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Realizing the Ultralow Lattice Thermal Conductivity of Cu₃SbSe₄ Compound via Sulfur Alloying Effect

by Lijun Zhao, Haiwei Han, Zhengping Lu, Jian Yang, Xinmeng Wu, Bangzhi Ge, Lihua Yu, Zhongqi Shi, Abdulnasser M. Karami, Songtao Dong, Shahid Hussain, Guanjun Qiao and Junhua Xu

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(19), 2730; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13192730 - 8 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1113

Abstract

Cu₃SbSe₄ is a potential p-type thermoelectric material, distinguished by its earth-abundant, inexpensive, innocuous, and environmentally friendly components. Nonetheless, the thermoelectric performance is poor and remains subpar. Herein, the electrical and thermal transport properties of Cu₃SbSe₄ were synergistically optimized by S alloying. Firstly, S alloying widened the band gap, effectively alleviating the bipolar effect. Additionally, the substitution of S in the lattice significantly increased the carrier effective mass, leading to a large Seebeck coefficient of ~730 μVK⁻¹. Moreover, S alloying yielded point defect and Umklapp scattering to significantly depress the lattice thermal conductivity, and thus brought about an ultralow κ_lat ~0.50 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹ at 673 K in the solid solution. Consequently, multiple effects induced by S alloying enhanced the thermoelectric performance of the Cu₃SbSe₄-Cu₃SbS₄ solid solution, resulting in a maximum ZT value of ~0.72 at 673 K for the Cu₃SbSe_2.8S_1.2 sample, which was ~44% higher than that of pristine Cu₃SbSe₄. This work offers direction on improving the comprehensive TE in solid solutions via elemental alloying. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1844 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flexible Active Peltier Coolers Based on Interconnected Magnetic Nanowire Networks

by Tristan da Câmara Santa Clara Gomes, Nicolas Marchal, Flavio Abreu Araujo and Luc Piraux

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(11), 1735; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13111735 - 25 May 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1217

Abstract

Thermoelectric energy conversion based on flexible materials has great potential for applications in the fields of low-power heat harvesting and solid-state cooling. Here, we show that three-dimensional networks of interconnected ferromagnetic metal nanowires embedded in a polymer film are effective flexible materials as active Peltier coolers. Thermocouples based on Co-Fe nanowires exhibit much higher power factors and thermal conductivities near room temperature than other existing flexible thermoelectric systems, with a power factor for Co-Fe nanowire-based thermocouples of about 4.7 mW/K

^{2}

m at room temperature. The effective thermal conductance of our device can be strongly and rapidly increased by active Peltier-induced heat flow, especially for small temperature differences. Our investigation represents a significant advance in the fabrication of lightweight flexible thermoelectric devices, and it offers great potential for the dynamic thermal management of hot spots on complex surfaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 5843 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermoelectric Power Generation of TiS₂/Organic Hybrid Superlattices Below Room Temperature

by Numan Salah, Neazar Baghdadi, Shittu Abdullahi, Ahmed Alshahrie and Kunihito Koumoto

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(4), 781; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13040781 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1307

Abstract

Recently, the n-type TiS₂/organic hybrid superlattice (TOS) was found to have efficient thermoelectric (TE) properties above and near room temperature (RT). However, its TE performance and power generation at the temperature gradient below RT have not yet been reported. In this work, the TE performance and power generation of the TOS above and below RT were investigated. The electrical conductivity (σ) and Seebeck coefficient (S) were recorded as a function of temperature within the range 233–323 K. The generated power at temperature gradients above (at ΔT = 20 and 40 K) and below (at ΔT = −20 and −40 K) RT was measured. The recorded σ decreased by heating the TOS, while |S| increased. The resulting power factor recorded ~100 µW/mK² at T = 233 K with a slight increase following heating. The charge carrier density and Hall mobility of the TOS showed opposite trends. The first factor significantly decreased after heating, while the second one increased. The TE-generated power of a single small module made of the TOS at ΔT = 20 and 40 K recorded 10 and 45 nW, respectively. Surprisingly, the generated power below RT is several times higher than that generated above RT. It reached 140 and 350 nW at ΔT = −20 and −40 K, respectively. These remarkable results indicate that TOS might be appropriate for generating TE power in cold environments below RT. Similar TE performances were recorded from both TOS films deposited on solid glass and flexible polymer, indicating TOS pertinence for flexible TE devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

6 pages, 1327 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Multifunctional Cu-Se Alloy Core Fibers and Micro–Nano Tapers

by Min Sun, Yu Liu, Dongdan Chen and Qi Qian

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(4), 773; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13040773 - 19 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1066

Abstract

Cu-Se alloy core fibers with glass cladding were fabricated by a thermal drawing method of a reactive molten core. The composition, crystallography, and photoelectric/thermoelectric performance of the fiber cores were investigated. The X-ray diffraction spectra of the Cu-Se alloy core fibers illustrate the fiber cores being polycrystalline with CuSe and Cu₃Se₂ phases. Interestingly, the fiber cores show a lower electrical conductivity under laser irradiation than under darkness at room temperature. Meanwhile, the fiber cores possess a power factor of ~1.2 mWm⁻¹K⁻² at room temperature, which is approaching the value of the high thermoelectric performance bulk of Cu₂Se polycrystals. The flexible Cu-Se fibers and their micro–nano tapers have potential multifunctional applications in the field of photoelectric detection and thermoelectric conversion on curved surfaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

8 pages, 2345 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceCommunication

High-Performance n-Type Bi₂Te₃ Thermoelectric Fibers with Oriented Crystal Nanosheets

by Min Sun, Pengyu Zhang, Guowu Tang, Dongdan Chen, Qi Qian and Zhongmin Yang

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(2), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13020326 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1579

Abstract

High-performance thermoelectric fibers with n-type bismuth telluride (Bi₂Te₃) core were prepared by thermal drawing. The nanosheet microstructures of the Bi₂Te₃ core were tailored by the whole annealing and Bridgman annealing processes, respectively. The influence of the annealing processes on the microstructure and thermoelectric performance was investigated. As a result of the enhanced crystalline orientation of Bi₂Te₃ core caused by the above two kinds of annealing processes, both the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity could be improved. Hence, the thermoelectric performance was enhanced, that is, the optimized dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) after the Bridgman annealing processes increased from 0.48 to about 1 at room temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2934 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Reduced Thermal Conductivity in Nanostructured AgSbTe₂ Thermoelectric Material, Obtained by Arc-Melting

by Javier Gainza, Federico Serrano-Sánchez, Oscar J. Dura, Norbert M. Nemes, Jose Luis Martínez, María Teresa Fernández-Díaz and José Antonio Alonso

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(21), 3910; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12213910 - 5 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1826

Abstract

AgSbTe₂ intermetallic compound is a promising thermoelectric material. It has also been described as necessary to obtain LAST and TAGS alloys, some of the best performing thermoelectrics of the last decades. Due to the random location of Ag and Sb atoms in the crystal structure, the electronic structure is highly influenced by the atomic ordering of these atoms and makes the accurate determination of the Ag/Sb occupancy of paramount importance. We report on the synthesis of polycrystalline AgSbTe₂ by arc-melting, yielding nanostructured dense pellets. SEM images show a conspicuous layered nanostructuration, with a layer thickness of 25–30 nm. Neutron powder diffraction data show that AgSbTe₂ crystalizes in the cubic Pm-3m space group, with a slight deficiency of Te, probably due to volatilization during the arc-melting process. The transport properties show some anomalies at ~600 K, which can be related to the onset temperature for atomic ordering. The average thermoelectric figure of merit remains around ~0.6 from ~550 up to ~680 K. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 2933 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pre-Ball-Milled Boron Nitride for the Preparation of Boron Nitride/Polyetherimide Nanocomposite Film with Enhanced Breakdown Strength and Mechanical Properties for Thermal Management

by Ruiyi Li, Xiao Yang, Jian Li, Ding Liu, Lixin Zhang, Haisheng Chen, Xinghua Zheng and Ting Zhang

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(19), 3473; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12193473 - 4 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1681

Abstract

Modern electronics not only require the thermal management ability of polymer packaging materials but also need anti-voltage and mechanical properties. Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS), an ideal thermally conductive and high withstand voltage (800 kV/mm) filler, can meet application needs, but the complex and low-yield process limits their large-scale fabrication. Herein, in this work, we prepare sucrose-assisted ball-milled BN(SABM-BN)/polyetherimide (PEI) composite films by a casting-hot pressing method. SABM-BN, as a pre-ball-milled filler, contains BNNS and BN thick sheets. We mainly investigated the thermal conductivity (TC), breakdown strength, and mechanical properties of composites. After pre-ball milling, the in-plane TC of the composite film is reduced. It decreases from 2.69 to 2.31 W/mK for BN/PEI composite film at 30 wt% content; however, the through-plane TC of composites is improved, and the breakdown strength and tensile strength of the composite film reach the maximum of 54.6 kV/mm and 102.7 MPa at 5 wt% content, respectively. Moreover, the composite film is used as a flexible circuit substrate, and the working surface temperature is 20 ℃, which is lower than that of pure PEI film. This study provides an effective strategy for polymer composites for electronic packaging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2641 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Thermoelectric Power Generation by SWCNT/PPy Core Shell Nanocomposites

by M. Almasoudi, Numan Salah, Ahmed Alshahrie, Abdu Saeed, Mutabe Aljaghtham, M. Sh. Zoromba, M. H. Abdel-Aziz and Kunihito Koumoto

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(15), 2582; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12152582 - 27 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1512

Abstract

Polypyrrole (PPy) is a conducting polymer with attractive thermoelectric (TE) properties. It is simple to fabricate and modify its morphology for enhanced electrical conductivity. However, such improvement is still limited to considerably enhancing TE performance. In this case, a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT), which has ultrathin diameters and exhibits semi-metallic electrical conductivity, might be a proper candidate to be combined with PPy as a core shell one-dimensional (1D) nanocomposite for higher TE power generation. In this work, core shell nanocomposites based on SWCNT/PPy were fabricated. Various amounts of pyrrole (Py), which are monomer sources for PPy, were coated on SWCNT, along with methyl orange (MO) as a surfactant and ferric chloride as an initiator. The optimum value of Py for maximum TE performance was determined. The results showed that the SWCNT acted as a core template to direct the self-assembly of PPy and also to further enhance TE performance. The TE power factor, PF, and figure of merit, zT, values of the pure PPy were initially recorded as ~1 µW/mK² and 0.0011, respectively. These values were greatly increased to 360 µW/mK² and 0.09 for the optimized core shell nanocomposite sample. The TE power generation characteristics of the fabricated single-leg module of the optimized sample were also investigated and confirmed these findings. This enhancement was attributed to the uniform coating and good interaction between PPy polymer chains and walls of the SWCNT through π–π stacking. The significant enhancement in the TE performance of SWCNT/PPy nanocomposite is found to be superior compared to those reported in similar composites, which indicates that this nanocomposite is a suitable and scalable TE material for TE power generation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 2860 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Characteristics of the Dispersion and Conductivity of Surfactants for the Nanofluids

by Sedong Kim

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(9), 1537; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12091537 - 2 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1432

Abstract

Given the importance of nanofluid dispersion and stability, a number of approaches were proposed and applied to the nanofluid preparation process. Among these approaches, the noncovalent chemical process was intensively utilized because of its effective dispersion ability. For the noncovalent dispersion method, polymers and surfactants are typically used. In order to find an effective noncovalent dispersion method, several types of solutions were prepared in this study. The widely used naturally cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) aqueous solution was compared with several surfactant aqueous solutions. The dispersion characteristics of the prepared fluids were examined by UV/VIS spectroscopy at operating wavelengths ranging from 190 to 500 nm. Furthermore, the heat capacity and the electrical and thermal conductivity of the fluids were analyzed to evaluate their heat transfer performance and conductivity. The Lambda system was utilized for thermal conductivity measurement with operation at proper temperature ranges. The electrical conductivity of the fluids was measured by a conductivity meter. This experimental study revealed that the cellulose nanocrystal was an effective source of the noncovalent dispersion agent for thermal characteristics and was more eco-friendly than other surfactants. Moreover, cellulose aqueous solution can be used as a highly thermal efficient base fluid for nanofluid preparation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications)

► Show Figures