Researchers put materials in a bind

However, whilst they knew it could be done it was not clear how because the atomic structures of those pair of materials do not appear to be compatible.

Now researchers from North Carolina State University and RTI International have solved the mystery, opening the door to new research in the field.

‘Now that we know what is going on, we can pursue research to fine-tune the interface of these materials to develop more efficient mechanisms for converting electricity to cooling or heat into electricity,’ said Dr James LeBeau, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research.

According to a statement, researchers have found that the two materials are separated by a thin layer of a third material.

To study the phenomenon, the researchers had to create the nanometre-scale thin films on a GaAs substrate.

The GaAs is first placed in a vapour deposition chamber. Molecules containing bismuth and tellurium are then introduced into the chamber, where they react with each other and develop into a crystalline Bi2Te3 structure on the surface of the GaAs.