Phys.org  September 18, 2023
Although historically the thermoelectric effect was first discovered in metals, state-of-the-art research focuses on semiconductors. An international team of researchers (Austria, Japan) discovered unprecedented thermoelectric performance in metals and realized ultrahigh power factors in binary nickel and gold alloys, more than twice larger than in any bulk material above room temperature. In metallic NixAu1–x alloys, large Seebeck coefficients originated from electron-hole selective scattering of Au s electrons into more localized Ni d states. This intrinsic energy filtering effect owing to the unique band structure yielded a strongly energy-dependent carrier mobility. While the metastable nature of the Ni-Au system as well as the high cost of Au pose some constraints for practical applications, according to the researchers their work challenges the common belief that good metals are bad thermoelectrics and presents a route toward high thermoelectric performance exploiting interband scattering… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Thermoelectric performance of NiAu alloys compared to today’s best thermoelectrics. Credit: SCIENCE ADVANCES, 15 Sep 2023, Vol 9, Issue 37