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Nature 423, 391-392 (22 May 2003) | doi:10.1038/423391a

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Condensed-matter physics: Thermopower to the people

Cronin B. Vining

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The larger-than-expected thermally generated voltage seen in a layered-oxide material — which may prove useful in power generation or cooling — is now attributed to the spins of moving charges.

Thermocouples generate a voltage in a temperature gradient. This is known as 'thermopower', or the Seebeck effect, after its discoverer Thomas Johann Seebeck.