Electrically tunable thermal conductivity in thermoelectric materials: Active and passive control
dc.contributor.author
dc.date.accessioned
2016-03-03T11:46:46Z
dc.date.available
2016-03-03T11:46:46Z
dc.date.issued
2015
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0306-2619
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dc.description.abstract
Applications involving the use of thermoelectric materials can be found in many different areas ranging from thermocouple sensors, portable coolers, to solar power generators. Generally, they can be subdivided by the direction of energy conversion. While the Peltier effect is used in solid-state refrigeration, the Seebeck effect is responsible for the conversion of temperature gradients into electrical voltage in energy harvesting systems. However, this paper proposes a novel approach to the use of thermoelectric couples, treating them as variable insulators in thermal systems. Here, we demonstrate that thermal conductivity in thermoelectric materials can be externally controlled by electrical parameters such as electrical load or DC voltage in passive and active systems, respectively. Active mode is a good solution when a complete insulation or a high control of thermal conductivity is needed. Passive mode permits a thermal conductivity increment of 1. +. ZTtimes with respect to semiconductor initial thermal conductivity. Results open new doors and new opportunities for thermoelectric materials
dc.description.sponsorship
This work has been partially funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya under Grant No. 2014-SGR-36 and the MICINN-FEDER
under Grants No. FIS-2012-31307. Authors would also like to thank Association of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia (AEIC) for they partial financial support
dc.format.mimetype
application/pdf
dc.language.iso
eng
dc.publisher
Elsevier
dc.relation
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MINECO//FIS2012-31307/ES/PROPAGACION DE FRENTES EN SISTEMAS COMPLEJOS MULTIDISCIPLINARES/
AGAUR/2014-2016/2014 SGR-36
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Reproducció digital del document publicat a: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.05.067
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© Applied Energy, 2015, vol. 154, p. 709-717
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Articles publicats (D-EMCI)
dc.rights
Tots els drets reservats
dc.subject
dc.title
Electrically tunable thermal conductivity in thermoelectric materials: Active and passive control
dc.type
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.rights.accessRights
info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
dc.embargo.terms
Cap
dc.date.embargoEndDate
info:eu-repo/date/embargoEnd/2026-01-01
dc.type.version
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.identifier.doi
dc.identifier.idgrec
023328
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dc.relation.ProjectAcronym