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Thermoelectric Materials for Space and Automotive Power Generation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Jihui Yang  and
Thierry Caillat
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Abstract

Historically, thermoelectric technology has only occupied niche areas, such as the radioisotope thermoelectric generators for NASA's spacecrafts, where the low cooling coefficient of performance (COP) and energy-conversion efficiency are outweighed by the application requirements.Recent materials advances and an increasing awareness of energy and environmental conservation issues have rekindled prospects for automotive and other applications of thermoelectric materials.This article reviews thermoelectric energy-conversion technology for radioisotope space power systems and several proposed applications of thermoelectric waste-heat recovery devices in the automotive industry.

Keywords

thermal conductivitythermoelectricity
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Bulletin , Volume 31 , Issue 3: Harvesting Energy through Thermoelectrics: Power Generation and Cooling , March 2006 , pp. 224 - 229
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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