This book provides an overview on nanostructured thermoelectric materials and devices, covering fundamental concepts, synthesis techniques, device contacts and stability, and potential applications, especially in waste heat recovery and solar energy conversion. The contents focus on thermoelectric devices made from nanomaterials with high thermoelectric efficiency for use in large scale to generate megawatts electricity. Covers the latest discoveries, methods, technologies in materials, contacts, modules, and systems for thermoelectricity. Addresses practical details of how to improve the efficiency and power output of a generator by optimizing contacts and electrical conductivity. Gives tips on how to realize a realistic and usable device or module with attention to large scale industry synthesis and product development. Prof. Zhifeng Ren is M. D. Anderson Professor in the Department of Physics and the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston. Prof. Yucheng Lan is an associate professor in Morgan State University. Prof. Qinyong Zhang is a professor in the Center for Advanced Materials and Energy at Xihua University of China.

This book will provide readers with deep insight into the intriguing science of thermoelectric thin films. It serves as a fundamental information source on the techniques and methodologies involved in thermoelectric thin film growth, characterization and device processing. This book involves widespread contributions on several categories of thermoelectric thin films: oxides, chalcogenides, iodates, nitrides and polymers. This will serve as an invaluable resource for experts to consolidate their knowledge and will provide insight and inspiration to beginners wishing to learn about thermoelectric thin films. Provides a single-source reference on a wide spectrum of topics related to thermoelectric thin films, from organic chemistry to devices, from physical chemistry to applied physics, from synthesis to device implementation; Covers several categories of thermoelectric thin films based on different material approaches such as oxides, chalcogenides, iodates, nitrides and polymers; Discusses synthesis, characterization, and device processing of thermoelectric thin films, as well as the nanoengineering approach to tailor the properties of the used materials at the nanoscale level.

There have been few books devoted to the study of phonons, a major area of condensed matter physics. The Physics of Phonons is a comprehensive theoretical discussion of the most important topics, including some topics not previously presented in book form. Although primarily theoretical in approach, the author refers to experimental results wherever possible, ensuring an ideal book for both experimental and theoretical researchers. The author begins with an introduction to crystal symmetry and continues with a discussion of lattice dynamics in the harmonic approximation, including the traditional phenomenological approach and the more recent ab initio approach, detailed for the first time in this book. A discussion of anharmonicity is followed by the theory of lattice thermal conductivity, presented at a level far beyond that available in any other book. The chapter on phonon interactions is likewise more comprehensive than any similar discussion elsewhere. The sections on phonons in superlattices, impure and mixed crystals, quasicrystals, phonon spectroscopy, Kapitza resistance, and quantum evaporation also contain material appearing in book form for the first time. The book is complemented by numerous diagrams that aid understanding and is comprehensively referenced for further study. With its unprecedented wide coverage of the field, The Physics of Phonons will be indispensable to all postgraduates, advanced undergraduates, and researchers working on condensed matter physics.

There are only a few discoveries and new technologies in materials science that have the potential to dramatically alter and revolutionize our material world. Discovery of two-dimensional (2D) materials, the thinnest form of materials to ever occur in nature, is one of them. After isolation of graphene from graphite in 2004, a whole other class of atomically thin materials, dominated by surface effects and showing completely unexpected and extraordinary properties, has been created. This book provides a comprehensive view and state-of-the-art knowledge about 2D materials such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) and so on. It consists of 11 chapters contributed by a team of experts in this exciting field and provides latest synthesis techniques of 2D materials, characterization and their potential applications in energy conservation, electronics, optoelectronics and biotechnology.

Boron Arsenide offers very interesting electronic properties, as well as a high thermal conductivity; nearly 10 times higher than that of silicon. It has been hailed as ‘the best semiconductor material ever found’. The present book presents a detailed review of this material and its potential applications. The materials covered include Icosahedral Boron Arsenide, Hexagonal Boron Arsenide, Amorphous Boron Arsenide and Cubic Boron Arsenide. The book references 166 original resources with their direct web links for in-depth reading. Keywords: Boron Arsenides, Electron Mobility, Hole Mobility, Band-gap, Monolayers, Defects, Mechanical Properties, Photo-electrodes, Thermal Conductivity, Heat-spreading.

Synthesis, Modelling and Characterization of 2D Materials and Their Heterostructures provides a detailed discussion on the multiscale computational approach surrounding atomic, molecular and atomic-informed continuum models. In addition to a detailed theoretical description, this book provides example problems, sample code/script, and a discussion on how theoretical analysis provides insight into optimal experimental design. Furthermore, the book addresses the growth mechanism of these 2D materials, the formation of defects, and different lattice mismatch and interlayer interactions. Sections cover direct band gap, Raman scattering, extraordinary strong light matter interaction, layer dependent photoluminescence, and other physical properties. - Explains multiscale computational techniques, from atomic to continuum scale, covering different time and length scales - Provides fundamental theoretical insights, example problems, sample code and exercise problems - Outlines major characterization and synthesis methods for different types of 2D materials

Learn about the most recent advances in 2D materials with this comprehensive and accessible text. Providing all the necessary materials science and physics background, leading experts discuss the fundamental properties of a wide range of 2D materials, and their potential applications in electronic, optoelectronic and photonic devices. Several important classes of materials are covered, from more established ones such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and transition metal dichalcogenides, to new and emerging materials such as black phosphorus, silicene, and germanene. Readers will gain an in-depth understanding of the electronic structure and optical, thermal, mechanical, vibrational, spin and plasmonic properties of each material, as well as the different techniques that can be used for their synthesis. Presenting a unified perspective on 2D materials, this is an excellent resource for graduate students, researchers and practitioners working in nanotechnology, nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, condensed matter physics, and chemistry.