Thermoelectric Materials

Thermoelectric materials are substances whose thermoelectric effects are strong enough for practical use, converting a temperature difference directly into an electric voltage through the Seebeck effect, or converting an electric current into a temperature difference through the Peltier and Thomson effects. Every material shows some thermoelectric behavior, but most are too weak to be useful, so materials are compared using a dimensionless figure of merit called zT, calculated from electrical conductivity, the Seebeck coefficient, temperature, and thermal conductivity, with a higher zT meaning a more efficient material. Bismuth telluride is the most widely used thermoelectric material, reaching a zT of about 0.8 to 1.0 at room temperature. These materials serve two main energy roles, cooling and refrigeration, and generating electricity from waste heat that would otherwise be lost. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/