Pursuing Sustainable Thermoelectrics

Thermoelectricity offers a direct and highly efficient approach for converting heat into electricity, relying on two key factors: Carnot efficiency and the materials-dependent property, <i>ZT</i>. In the last two decades, tremendous efforts have been made to develop high <i>ZT</i> thermoelectric materials, and the bulk <i>ZT</i> has reached above 3. Energy converters for renewable or sustainable energy technologies have to be based on materials that are not a burden to the environment, do not contain critical elements and guarantee a short energy payback time. Besides improving the conversion efficiency and other performance factors, sustainability has to be considered when designing novel thermoelectric materials and devices. In this talk, we will introduce novel synthesis strategies for oxide and silicon-based thermoelectric materials. We will delve into the concept of Entropy Engineering, a method that can extend the lifetime of (oxide) thermoelectric materials. Moreover, we will showcase one example where waste Si from the solar cell industry is transformed into valuable products, specifically in the synthesis of MnSi_1.75 alloy. This underscores the potential to convert waste into valuable resources, contributing to both sustainable energy and responsible material usage.