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When thermoelectrics reached the nanoscale

Nature Nanotechnology volume 8, pages 471–473 (2013)Cite this article

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The theoretical work done by Lyndon Hicks and Mildred Dresselhaus 20 years ago on the effect of reduced dimensionality on thermoelectric efficiency has had deep implications beyond the initial expectations.

In 1993, two seminal papers by L. D. Hicks and M. S. Dresselhaus1,2 pointed out how quantum mechanics could provide a new way of designing thermoelectric materials. The fundamental limitation of thermoelectric technology arises from the fact that one must optimize three mutually contra-indicated properties of the same material. The fundamental idea is that size quantization and the possibility of controlling materials at the nanoscale add new independent variables that researchers can use to reach a better optimal thermoelectric efficiency than could be reached before. This changed the nature of thermoelectrics research: rather than selecting semiconductors from among those nature gives us, new thermoelectric materials can be engineered. When the initial work on Bi nanowires proved impractical, the optimism and momentum that had been triggered inspired searches for specific nanostructures and dopants that imitated the electronic behaviour of quantum wires. This culminated in the synthesis of nano-inspired materials with more than double the efficiency of those that were available in 1993.

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Figure 1: Evolution of the maximum ZT over time.
Figure 2: Automotive Climate Control Seat by Gentherm.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210, Ohio, USA

    Joseph P. Heremans

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    Mildred S. Dresselhaus

  3. Retired from Gentherm

    Lon E. Bell

  4. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, Michigan, USA

    Donald T. Morelli

Authors
  1. Joseph P. Heremans
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  2. Mildred S. Dresselhaus
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  3. Lon E. Bell
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  4. Donald T. Morelli
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Joseph P. Heremans, Mildred S. Dresselhaus, Lon E. Bell or Donald T. Morelli.

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Heremans, J., Dresselhaus, M., Bell, L. et al. When thermoelectrics reached the nanoscale. Nature Nanotech 8, 471–473 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2013.129

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