異常ネルンスト効果を用いた新規エネルギ一ハ一ベスト技術

摘要

The anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) is a thermoelectric effect that occurs in ferromagnetic materials, in which an electric field appears in the outer product direction between the magnetization and temperature gradient. This 3-dimensional thermoelectric effect enables us to consider a novel type of energy harvesting technology. In this article, the various benefits of using the ANE for thermoelectric power generation are described. Because a simple laterally connected thermopile structure of magnetic wire can enhance a serial voltage, ANE-based thermoelectric power generation is suitable for utilizing a wide-area non-flat heat source. I also show the result of estimating the required minimum thermopower of the ANE for practical energy-harvest applications. Finally, a strategy for finding materials showing a large ANE is explained for future studies.