Nanostructure-Enhanced Bulk Thermoelectric Materials

The use of thermoelectric devices as alternative energy sources has been investigated with limited success. Manufacturing costs and limited power generation efficiency have prevented the economical, large-scale production and use of the thermoelectric devices as a viable alternative energy source. Agiltron has proposed an innovative nanostructure-enhanced thermoelectric material that will integrate the synthesis of PbSe nanowires and the fabrication of nanocomposite-enhanced bulk thermoelectric materials. The proposed technologies will include single-phase, highly-crystalline, surface-clean and diameter-controlled PbSe nanowires fabrication; orientation, and densification with ball-milled submicrometer-sized powder of bulk thermoelectric material into nanocomposite-enhanced thermoelectric material through a hotpress technique. The thermoelectric figure of merit of this new nano-composite is predicted to reach ZT = 3 at 300K. This innovative thermoelectric material will have immense application potentials in power generation, energy harvesting, and solid-state cooling and refrigeration.