High Performance Thermoelectric Materials Using Solution Phase Synthesis of Narrow Bandgap Core/Shell Quantum Dots Deposited Into Colloidal Crystal Thin Films

摘要

Thermoelectrics is the science and technology associated with thermoelectric converters, that is, the generation of electrical power based on the Seebeck effect and refrigeration by the Peltier effect. The attractive features of thermoelectric devices are their long life, low maintenance, they have no moving parts, they can be miniaturized, they do not produce emissions that might be harmful to the environment, and they are highly reliable. Thermoelectric generators are used to provide electrical power in medical, military, and deep space applications where their desirable properties outweigh their relatively high cost and low operating efficiency. In recent years there also has been an increase in applications for thermoelectric coolers for use in infrared detectors, optical communications, and computing. The widespread use of thermoelectric components is presently limited by the low figure-of-merit of presently known materials. The objective of the Phase 1 proposal was to demonstrate a new route to the realization of highly efficient bulk thermoelectric materials through engineering material structures at the nanoscale. Furthermore, the intent of our continuing work is to create these nanostructured materials using cost effective processes that will eventually lead to viable commercial products and fill a market need. In particular, interest lies in the application of nanotechnology to design thermoelectric materials whose intrinsic electrical and thermal properties are far better than the properties of traditional bulk thermoelectric materials.