TRANSPORT PROPERTIES OF NOVEL OXIDE THERMOELECTRICS

摘要

Thermoelectrics is a technology that generates electric energy from heat through the Seebeck effect, and pumps heat through the Peltier effect. Thus far degenerate semiconductors were used for thermoelectric materials, and oxides were regarded as unsuitable because of their low mobility. However, this is not always true: We discovered a high thermoelectric performance in the layered cobalt oxide NaCo_2O_4, whose thermoelectric properties were comparable with those of conventional thermoelectric materials. Since then thermoelectric properties of conducting oxides have been examined more extensively than before. In this article I will show the thermoelectric properties of NaCo_2O_4, and review the current status of the oxide thermoelectrics.