Understanding Thermoelectrics Through Carrier and Phonon Transport

Solid state energy conversion using thermoelectric (TE) phenomena has attracted great interest in power generation by using waste heat and active cooling/heating from electricity. Since first observation of the Seebeck and Peltier effect in the early 1820s, the TE phenomena has been applied in limited fields due to difficulties during the last two centuries in controling performance, which is related to both the carrier and the phonon transport behaviors. This article briefly introduces not only technological research issues for universal use of thermoelectrics but also the latest strategy for applications from the viewpoint of materials.