Thermoelectric Nanostructured Perovskite Materials

Abstract

The global need for energy production from renewable resources and the effect of greenhouse gas, especially carbon dioxide is increasing day by day. Statistical survey shows that about 60% of the energy lost in vain worldwide, in the form of waste heat. The conversion of this waste into useful energy form will certainly play a major role in alternative energy technologies. Thermoelectric materials (TE) can harvest waste heat and convert this into electrical energy and vice versa. The development of high-efficiency TE materials for waste-heat-recovery systems is necessary to bring vast economic and environmental benefits. The methods of synthesis,that is, control over particle size play an important role in controlling the properties of thermoelectric materials. The nanostructuring of thermoelectric materials can enhance the efficiency by quantum confinement effect and phonon scattering. Perovskites have a long history of being a potential candidate for thermoelectric applications, due to their fascinating electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Compared with other thermoelectric materials perovskites have the advantage of eco-friendliness, less toxicity and are highly elemental abundant. Owing to the high thermal conductivity and low electrical conductivity overall performance of perovskites is relatively poor. The hybrid perovskites overcome this difficulty and started to draw the attention to thermoelectric applications.