Thermoelectric devices could play an important role in making efficient use of our energy resources but their efficiency would need to be increased for their wide scale application. There is a multidisciplinary search for materials with an enhanced thermoelectric responses for use in such devices. This volume covers the latest ideas and developments in this research field, covering topics ranging from the fabrication and characterization of new materials, particularly those with strong electron correlation, use of nanostructured, layered materials and composites, through to theoretical work to gain a deeper understanding of thermoelectric behavior. It should be a useful guide and stimulus to all working in this very topical field.

As concerns with the efficient use of energy resources, and the minimization of environmental damage have come to the fore, there has been a renewed interest in the role that thermoelectric devices could play in generating electricity from waste heat, enabling cooling via refrigerators with no moving parts, and many other more specialized applications. The main problem in realizing this ambition is the rather low efficiency of such devices for general applications. This book deals with the proceedings of a workshop addressed that problems by reviewing the latest experimental and theoretical work on suitable materials for device applications and by exploring various strategies that might increase their efficiency. The proceedings cover a broad range of approaches, from the experimental work of fabricating new compounds through to theoretical work in characterizing and understanding their properties. The effects of strong electron correlation, disorder, the proximity to metal-insulator transitions, the properties of layered composite materials, and the introduction of voids or cages into the structure to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity are all explored as ways of enhancing the efficiency of their use in thermoelectric devices.

An in-depth analysis of thermoelectric theory, an overview of present day thermoelectric materials and devices, and updated information on the most studied thermoelectric materials development. The main emphasis is on a basic understanding of the concepts as well as experimental techniques needed to propel researchers towards new and novel classes of thermoelectric materials with enhanced properties.

Advanced Thermoelectric Materials for Energy Harvesting Applications is a research-intensive textbook covering the fundamentals of thermoelectricity and the process of converting heat energy into electrical energy. It covers the design, implementation, and performance of existing and advanced thermoelectric materials. Chapters examine such topics as organic/inorganic thermoelectric materials, performance and behaviors of thermoelectric devices, and energy harvesting applications of thermoelectric devices.

It has been almost thirty years since the publication of a book that is entirely dedicated to the theory, description, characterization and measurement of the thermal conductivity of solids. The recent discovery of new materials which possess more complex crystal structures and thus more complicated phonon scattering mechanisms have brought innovative challenges to the theory and experimental understanding of these new materials. With the development of new and novel solid materials and new measurement techniques, this book will serve as a current and extensive resource to the next generation researchers in the field of thermal conductivity. This book is a valuable resource for research groups and special topics courses (8-10 students), for 1st or 2nd year graduate level courses in Thermal Properties of Solids, special topics courses in Thermal Conductivity, Superconductors and Magnetic Materials, and to researchers in Thermoelectrics, Thermal Barrier Materials and Solid State Physics.

Thermoelectric Materials and Devices summarizes the latest research achievements over the past 20 years of thermoelectric material and devices, most notably including new theory and strategies of thermoelectric materials design and the new technology of device integration. The book's author has provided a bridge between the knowledge of basic physical/chemical principles and the fabrication technology of thermoelectric materials and devices, providing readers with research and development strategies for high performance thermoelectric materials and devices. It will be a vital resource for graduate students, researchers and technologists working in the field of energy conversion and the development of thermoelectric devices. Discusses the new theory and methods of thermoelectric materials design Combines scientific principles, along with synthesis and fabrication technologies in thermoelectric materials Presents the design optimization and interface technology for thermoelectric devices Introduces thermoelectric polymers and organic-inorganic thermoelectric composites