Affiliation:
1. Plasma Processing Laboratory, Lithuanian Energy Institute, Breslaujos Str. 3, LT-44403 Kaunas, Lithuania
2. Department of Industrial Engineering and Robotics, Kaunas Kolegija Higher Education Institution, Pramones Ave. 20, LT-50468 Kaunas, Lithuania
Abstract
As the industry develops more and more, heat is produced during fabrication processes, resulting in an excess of heat. One of the ways to solve the problem can be the conversion of excess heat into electricity using a thermoelectric generator (TEG). The authors of this paper propose a method of using thin-film TEGs for electricity generation, a procedure that has been given little attention to in the literature. In this study, thin TEGs (about 50–100 nm thick) were obtained from Bi-Ni, using magnetron sputtering technology. This type of TEG can be used not only as a device that generates electricity, but also as a protective layer for various systems, protecting them from environmental influences. In addition, such TEGs can be formed on a complex, uneven surface, with various details changing their geometric shape. As shown from XRD studies, the obtained Bi-Ni layer is polycrystalline. XRD studies help to determine whether the layer obtained is composed of pure layers of Bi and Ni metals or whether metal oxides have formed (metal oxides have a negative effect on electrical conductivity). An increase in the temperature from 80 to 120 K, respectively, increases the voltage generated by the TEG from 0.01 to 0.03 V. Meanwhile, the efficiency of such TEG element changes from 1 to 4.5% when the temperature change increases from 30 to 119 K.