Embedded Metal Nanoparticles for Efficient Thermoelectric Power Generation

Aerius Photonics proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of high output power thick film generator modules using nanoparticle-embedded materials that are amenable to production using bulk crystal-growth methods. These nanoparticles provide benefits similar to superlattices, such as increasing the Seebeck coefficient and decreasing the thermal conductivity, but with the major advantage being that they are transferrable to bulk crystal growth. Aerius Photonics proposes to make thermoelectric power generators using hybrid elements of two materials, one of which is the nanoparticle embedded material and the other being a conventional thermoelectric material, Bi2Te3 . The combination of the two materials provides the superior performance at room temperature of Bi2Te3 with the superior performance at high temperature of the nanoparticle embedded material. Using bulk materials allows the stack to take full advantage of the temperature drop across the module and combine to make a cost-effective, high efficiency module.