Nanotechnology used to reduce cost of thermoelectric generators

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) produce electricity from a temperature difference between two types of electrical conductors, in a process known as the Seebeck effect.

Since the devices have no moving parts, they are extremely reliable. However, they typically require the use of toxic or scarce materials, limiting their use to niche applications such as powering space probes, for example.

Now a UK research team, led by Dr Jan-Willem Bos at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, is attempting to use nanotechnology to reduce the cost of thermoelectric generators, allowing them to be used in a wider range of applications.

The team, which also includes researchers from Glasgow and Royal Holloway Universities and Leicestershire-based European Thermodynamics, will focus on so-called Heusler alloys, which contain combinations of abundant metals such as nickel, titanium and tin.

The researchers hope that by manipulating the nanostructure of the alloys they will be able to increase their energy conversion efficiency to that of more toxic materials.