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MOLECULAR JUNCTION REFRIGERATOR

Peltier cooling at molecular scale

Nature Nanotechnology volume 13, pages 97–99 (2018)Cite this article

Under specific conditions, molecular monolayers dissipate power more than they heat up at one end of a molecular junction, validating theoretical predictions of Peltier cooling.

The increasing demand for miniaturization of electronic devices has resulted in extensive research into molecular components that can be incorporated into active elements in nanoscale devices1. In principle, the concept of tailoring the electronic, optical and thermal functionalities of molecules by chemical synthesis is an attractive proposition for fabricating molecular devices that fit one’s needs. In particular, research on thermoelectric effects in molecular junctions has recently attracted a tremendous amount of attention owing to the predicted large thermopower and thermoelectric power conversion efficiency of molecules2. The goal is to develop technologies that can harness dissipated thermal energies from the surroundings and convert this into useful work, in the form of electrical energy. Reporting in Nature Nanotechnology, Cui et al. now describe the experimental observation of Peltier cooling — that is, refrigeration — in molecular junctions3.

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Fig. 1: Conventional and molecular-scale Peltier coolers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea

    Keehoon Kang & Takhee Lee

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  1. Keehoon Kang
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  2. Takhee Lee
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Correspondence to Keehoon Kang or Takhee Lee.

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Kang, K., Lee, T. Peltier cooling at molecular scale. Nature Nanotech 13, 97–99 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-017-0036-4

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