Filled Skutterudites: Potential for Thermoelectric Cooling Applications

The skutterudite system is most interesting due to the market reduction in the thermal conductivity upon filling the voids in the structure. Recently data has been presented showing this material system to possess a relatively large figure of merit at high temperatures. However, the effect of the emperature where the lattice thermal conductivity reduction is well over an-order-of-magnitude. Indeed this system was originally chosen for the investigation of thermoelectrics properties engineering whereby the thermal conductivity of a material can be severely degraded with a minimal affect on the electronic properties. The successful application of this approach would result in a very large figure of merit. In this Phase I Marlow Industries proposes to investigate the feasibility of the filled skutterudite system as thermoelectric cooling materials. This is where we believe the potential lies for this material system. The key technical challenge, however, is in further reducing the lattice thermal conductivity towards its theoretical minimum. When this goal is realized optimization of the filled skutterudites at and below room temperature can begin. BENEFITS: High performance thermoelectric coolers would open potential applications such as medical instruments, microprocessor and electronic cooling, portable refrigerators and freezers, air conditioning and eventually for cooling superconductors.