Facts

Contact person:
Denis Music
Financer:
  • The Crafoord Foundation
Responsible at MaU:
Denis Music
Time frame:
01 June 2022 - 01 July 2023
Faculty/department:
Research subject:

About the project

Thermoelectric devices convert heat directly into electricity without carbon dioxide emission. Fundamental and applied research on these issues is now more important than ever. Due to the relatively low efficiency of thermoelectric devices, applications are limited to, for example, space probes and satellites, industrial waste heat recovery as well as cooling. Although their efficiency is defined by the transport properties (Seebeck coefficient, electrical and thermal conductivity), several external parameters can drastically affect the efficiency. One such parameter is mechanical stress, which is often ignored, in part due to a lack of necessary equipment. Here, a Seebeck probe is designed and constructed for thermoelectric thin films under mechanical loading. TiNiSn is used as a benchmark to demonstrate the realization and an opportunity to increase efficiency through mechanical loading.