Oxide Materials for Thermoelectric Conversion

Thermoelectric technology has emerged as a prominent area of research in the past few decades for harnessing waste heat and improving the efficiency of next-generation renewable energy technologies. There has been rapid progress in the development of high-performance thermoelectric materials, as measured by the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT = S-2 & BULL; & sigma; & BULL; & kappa;(-1)). Several heavy-metal-based thermoelectric materials with commercial-level performance (ZT = 1) have so far been proposed. However, the extensive application of these materials still faces challenges due to their low thermal/chemical stability, high toxicity, and limited abundance in the Earth's crust. In contrast, oxide-based thermoelectric materials, such as ZnO, SrTiO3, layered cobalt oxides, etc., have attracted growing interest as they can overcome the limitations of their heavy-metal-based counterparts. In this review, we summarize the recent research progress and introduce improvement strategies in oxide-based thermoelectric materials. This will provide an overview of their development history and design schemes, ultimately aiding in enhancing the overall performance of oxide-based thermoelectric materials.

Automated summary

Thermoelectric technology is a significant research area for utilizing waste heat and improving the efficiency of renewable energy technologies. Heavy-metal-based thermoelectric materials have been proposed, but face challenges due to their low stability, toxicity, and limited abundance. In contrast, oxide-based thermoelectric materials have attracted interest for overcoming these limitations. This review summarizes recent research progress and improvement strategies in oxide-based thermoelectric materials, providing an overview of their development history and design schemes to enhance overall performance.