Tellurium: providing a bright future for solar energy

Comparative Analysis of Supply Risk-Mitigation Strategies for Critical Byproduct Minerals: A Case Study of Tellurium

“…This decline is driven by increasing use of hydrometallurgical (SX–EW) copper mining and recycling of copper scrap, neither of which offer meaningful potential for tellurium byproduction . Conversely, although yield is a parameter that may evolve in the future with direct implications for tellurium supply, in the baseline scenario, it is assumed to be constant over time and remain at a conservative estimate of 35%. , Rather than evolve this parameter dynamically and assert how that happens within the base scenario, this fact became a major motivation for selecting yield improvement as a mitigation strategy for evaluation by the framework being developed.…”

A robust thermoelectric module based on MgAgSb/Mg3(Sb,Bi)2with a conversion efficiency of 8.5% and a maximum cooling of 72 K

“…However, tellurium (Te) is an extremely scarce element with an abundance of less than 0.001 ppm (o0.0000001%) in the Earth's crust and an annual production of less than 500 metric tons globally. 10,11 This greatly challenges the near-future growth of the thermoelectric market, and it is imperative to develop TE modules that are free from the scarce and toxic elements while retaining a high performance at around room temperature.…”

Midwavelength Infrared Photoluminescence and Lasing of Tellurium Elemental Solid and Microcrystals

“…Tellurium, a group 16 element, is a semiconductor in nature with a narrow bandgap . It is the fourth most abundant trace element in the human body and frequently found from xenolith . The Te element, discovered by Franz-Joseph Mueller von Reichenstein in 1782, has been rigorously studied with and without other elements.…”