COMP 116 |
| Thermoelectric materials convert a temperature difference into a voltage, and so can provide for a power source with no moving parts. The optimization of a thermoelectric material involves the optimization of three different physical parameters – the thermopower (S, measured in volts per Kelvin), the electrical conductivity (s), and the inverse of the thermal conductivity (k). These different parameters are typically not independent, often frustrating the process of optimizing such materials. However, in certain cases, the ability to tune the physical dimensions of the thermoelectric material provides a powerful handle for such optimization. In this talk, we will discuss a set of experimental measurements upon silicon nanowire thermoelectrics and compare to the results of first principle predictions from theory. Separate measurements of all three critical thermoelectric parameters, coupled with the ability to tune the nanowire diameter and doping level, are beginning to reveal that high-performance thermoelectric materials can be generated from single crystal silicon. |
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Bold Predictions in Theoretical Chemistry: A Symposium in Honor of One of the Boldest, Bill Goddard, on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday
9:00 AM-12:10 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- 160B, Oral
Division of Computers in Chemistry |