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A NEW CONCEPT FOR ALLOYING THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS IS PROPOSED IN WHICH THE ALLOY ADDITION WILL RESIDE IN THE LATTICE INTERSTITIALLY (I.
Title: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Phone: (619) 459-1016
A NEW CONCEPT FOR ALLOYING THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS IS PROPOSED IN WHICH THE ALLOY ADDITION WILL RESIDE IN THE LATTICE INTERSTITIALLY (I.E., SOME OF THE NEW ATOMS WILL OCCUPY HOLES BETWEEN THE EXISTING ATOMS IN THE CRYSTAL LATTICE) AND REDUCE THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY VIA THE IMPAIRMENT OF PHONON FLOW. ALL ALLOYING OF THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS TODATE HAS RELIED UPON SUBSTITUTIONAL ALLOYING. THIS NOVEL APPROACH TO THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT WILL INITIALLY BE APPLIED TO THE WELL-CHARACTERIZED 80 SI-20GE ALLOY TO UNDERSTAND THE ALLOYING PHENOMENA AND THE IMPROVEMENTS IN FIGURE OF MERIT THAT CAN BE MADE. SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT WILL THEN BE ADDRESSED AT INTERSTITIAL ALLOYING OF THE SIGE AND GAP ALLOYS. IF THE PROPOSED METHOD PROVES SUCCESSFUL, IT SHOULD ALSO BE APPLICABLE TO OTHER THERMOELECTRIC ALLOY SYSTEMS.
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