Abstract:
To find alternative energy sources, in order to meet the ever increasing energy consumption, is one of the major challenges that world is facing today. There is a recognized need to find new, environment friendly, economical sources and to make efficient use of available resources. In this regard, thermoelectric devices are believed to play a vital and a promising role. High figure of merit, besides easy availability, manufacturing and low cost are always considered important parameters of a thermocouple towards its aptness as a thermo-element in various applications. In this paper, we will analyze the effect of the parameters α, σ, λ, ρ and α2T on figure of merit, which is based on theoretical calculations, wherein simultaneously the two parameters can be changed while keeping the third constant.
Keywords: Thermoelectric materials, Energy challenges, Figure of merit, Nano regime, Gibbs free energy.