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Nature Materials 7, 616–617 (1 August 2008) | doi:10.1038/nmat2243

Thermoelectrics: Nanostructuring and more

David J. Singh & Ichiro Terasaki

In thermoelectric materials, the application of a temperature gradient generates a voltage, and vice versa. By exploiting this coupling between thermal and electrical properties, devices can be made that carry heat from a cold side to a hot side (refrigeration) or that generate electricity from heat flows (Fig.