Thermoelectrics are energy harvesters that can directly convert waste heat into electrical energy and vice versa. Currently, thermoelectric (TE) devices display lower efficiency as the materials used for construction possess a very low figure of merit (ZT). Therefore, understanding the structural features of materials, finding new materials, and analyzing their chemistry and physics play a vital role in enhancing their energy conversion efficiency. Among the different classes of TE materials, some inorganic chalcogenides are perfect candidates for power generation as they possess excellent TE properties. The objective of this review is to provide insights into structural features and innovative methods to obtain enhanced thermoelectric properties of selected inorganic chalcogenides. The review covers recent advances in preparation methods, structural features, and thermoelectric properties of selected metal selenides (Bi2Se3, Ag2Se, SnSe, etc.) and metal tellurides (Bi2Te3, SnTe, PbTe, etc.). The review also discusses the critical parameters for designing and optimizing the TE materials to obtain the required electrical conductivity (σ), Seebeck coefficient (S), and thermal conductivity (k). In addition, promising mechanistic approaches to be adopted for enhancing the efficiency of TE materials such as doping, alloying, and nanostructuring are discussed in detail. Finally, a summary that describes advancements in the materials design is provided with a prospect for future applications from these materials in the development of energy harvesting technology.

No abstract

This report presents engineering of novel cerous sulfate Ce2(SO4)3 nanoflowers, decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) through economical, energy-efficient ,and rapid one-pot hydrothermal strategy. The obtained nanocomposite demonstrates the successful formation of nanoflowers morphology with high surface area with the potential to promote electrolyte accessibility and electronic transmission during sensing phenomena. The Ce2(SO4)3/rGO (CSG) nanoflower composite were used to activate screen printed carbon electrode. A linear response of the CSG electrode was obtained under optimum conditions, for the concentration range of 10 to 1000 µM with sensitivity of 0.2973 µA/µM-cm2 and the lowest detection limit of 0.9 mM for ascorbic acid. The excellent Vitamin-C detecting features of CSG sensor are attributed to the synergistic effect from the dimensional anisotropy of flower-like morphological features of Ce2(SO4)3 as well as the interfacial structure. The CSG sensor was also validated for vitamin C tablets VeeCee-Z to scale up the adopted protocol for commercial applications. Furthermore, fabricated electrochemical sensor exhibited significant repeatability (98.63 %), optimum stability, and reproducible monitoring performances. The significant findings of our work hold the prospect for sensitive and prompt determination of Vitamin-C in the industrial domains

No abstract

No abstract