Problems of designing radioisotope thermoelectric power generators with a service life of decades for use in outer space exploration vehicles

Realizing High Thermoelectric Performance of Bi-Sb-Te-Based Printed Films through Grain Interface Modification by an In Situ-Grown β-Cu2-δSe Phase

“…Approximately 65% of used energy is being wasted as heat; hence, converting waste heat into electricity via thermoelectric generators (TEGs) can significantly boost the renewable energy sector. However, several roadblocks hold researchers back from reaching the goal . So far, the vast majority of work on thermoelectrics has been involved in designing bulk TE materials and improving their figure-of-merit ( ZT = S 2 σT / κ , where S, σ, and κ are the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity), − but lesser effort has been put forward to develop cost-effective TE devices.…”

High-Performance Ag–Se-Based n-Type Printed Thermoelectric Materials for High Power Density Folded Generators

“…However, organic materials usually exhibit lower Seebeck coefficients (S) than their state-of-the art inorganic counterparts. It has been reported that p-type PEDOT:PSS [poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate] can have a high TE figureof-merit, ZT = S 2 σ/κ, of ∼0.42 mainly due to high σ while S is still low. 19 Efforts are still being made to enhance TE performance of conductive polymers such as p-type PEDOT and n-type 1,1,2,2-ethenetetrathiolate (ett)−metal coordination polymers poly[A x (M−ett)] (A = Na and K; M = Ni and Cu) through functionalization with suitable moieties or using hybrid composite materials comprising inorganic compounds.…”

“…Despite being a promising technology, thermoelectric (TE) generators (TEGs) are yet to be employed to a large extent for widespread applications. , Even after several decades of extensive research, TE materials have so far not fulfilled the long-standing promise of broad applicability and are not yet in a position to be a complement to sustainable energy conversion technologies such as photovoltaics , for reasons of cost and efficiency. So far, a large variety of conventional bulk n- or p-type TE materials, comprising chalcogenides, Si–Ge, skutterudite, and half-Heusler alloys, have been developed and studied. − Among them, only Bi 2 Te 3 -based materials are successfully implemented for low-temperature TE device applications. − Until now, the TE community has been focused on improving the figure-of-merit of TE materials.…”

From Thermoelectric Powder Directly to Thermoelectric Generators: Flexible Bi2Te3 Films on Polymer Sheets Prepared by the Powder Aerosol Deposition Method at Room Temperature

“…They are therefore already applied in specialized fields such as aerospace engineering. [5][6][7] Furthermore, the automotive industry is to recover energy from hot exhaust gas using TEGs. [8][9][10][11] In parallel to the use of waste heat from technical applications, the use of natural heat dissipation of humans is of increasing interest of research.…”