Compatibility factor of segmented thermoelectric generators based on quasicrystalline alloys

In this work we present a prospective study on the possible use of certain quasicrystalline alloys in order to improve the efficiency of segmented thermoelectric generators. To this end, we obtain a closed analytical expression for their compatibility factor [G. J. Snyder and T. S. Ursell, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 148301 (2003)]. By comparing our analytical results with available experimental data we conclude that a promising high temperature material, compatible with benchmark thermoelectric materials, can be found among $\mathrm{AlPdMn}$ based icosahedral quasicrystals.

[1]  Jansen,et al.  Density of States in Quasicrystals and Approximants: Tunneling Experiment on Bare and Oxidized Surfaces. , 1996, Physical review letters.

[2]  Klein,et al.  Observation of a narrow pseudogap near the fermi level of AlCuFe quasicrystalline thin films. , 1995, Physical review letters.

[3]  E. Maciá.  May quasicrystals be good thermoelectric materials , 2000 .

[4]  G. J. Snyder,et al.  Application of the compatibility factor to the design of segmented and cascaded thermoelectric generators , 2004 .

[5]  R. Kubo.  Statistical-Mechanical Theory of Irreversible Processes : I. General Theory and Simple Applications to Magnetic and Conduction Problems , 1957 .

[6]  C. Berger,et al.  Thouless and critical regimes in insulating icosahedral AlPdRe ribbons , 2003 .

[7]  Poon,et al.  Composition dependence of the electronic properties of Al-Cu-Fe and Al-Cu-Ru-Si semimetallic quasicrystals. , 1993, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[8]  Y. Calvayrac,et al.  Tunnelling and point contact spectroscopy of the density of states in quasicrystalline alloys , 1999 .

[9]  Ott,et al.  Low-temperature thermal conductivity of icosahedral Al70Mn9Pd21. , 1995, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[10]  K. Kimura,et al.  Thermoelectric properties of AlPdRe icosahedral alloys , 2002 .

[11]  Enrique Maciá.  Theoretical prospective of quasicrystals as thermoelectric materials , 2001 .

[12]  E. Maciá.  Universal features in the electrical conductivity of icosahedral Al-transition-metal quasicrystals , 2002 .

[13]  K. Kimura,et al.  Effect of Ru substitution for Re on the thermoelectric properties of AlPdRe icosahedral quasicrystals , 2003 .

[14]  E. Maciá.  Thermoelectric properties of icosahedral quasicrystals: A phenomenological approach , 2003 .

[15]  K. Kimura,et al.  Composition dependence of thermoelectric properties of AlPdRe icosahedral quasicrystals , 2002 .

[16]  T. Tritt,et al.  Electronic transport in Cd–Yb and Y–Mg–Zn quasicrystals , 2001 .

[17]  T. Tritt,et al.  Thermal and electrical transport properties of the single-phase quasicrystalline material: Al70.8Pd20.9Mn8.3 , 1999 .

[18]  Poon,et al.  Band-structure gap and electron transport in metallic quasicrystals and crystals. , 1993, Physical review letters.

[19]  D A Greenwood,et al.  The Boltzmann Equation in the Theory of Electrical Conduction in Metals , 1958 .

[20]  E. Maciá,et al.  Analytical expressions for the transport coefficients of icosahedral quasicrystals , 2003 .

[21]  Yue Wu,et al.  Sharp feature in the pseudogap of quasicrystals detected by NMR , 1997 .

[22]  G. J. Snyder,et al.  Thermoelectric efficiency and compatibility. , 2003, Physical review letters.

[23]  E. Maciá.  Thermoelectric figure of merit of AlPdRe icosahedral quasicrystals: Composition-dependent effects , 2004 .

[24]  C. Landauro,et al.  Temperature dependence of the electronic transport in Al-Cu-Fe phases , 2000 .