Discovery of new sustainable thermoelectric materials

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The project will deal with the "Discovery of new sustainable thermoelectric materials". The systems to be investigated will be ZnxTi1-xNiSb, ZnxTi1-xNiSn, ZnxTi1-xNiSbSn and TiNiSixGeySnz. Depending on the results thesystems can be adjusted, or other systems could be added.The materials will be synthesised at high temperatures in furnaces. The starting materials will be carried under inert gasconditions in a glove box. Glass ampoules will be prepared and sealed. Usage of hot- and cold-press will be carried out.Analysis of the obtained samples will be done with various techniques.First the synthesised samples must be characterised with usage of e.g x-ray and neutron diffraction methods. As thermoelectric materials convert a temperature gradient into an electrical current, the thermal and electronic transportproperties are of interest and will be analysed. The aim is to achieve a more sustainable material. To achieve this, temperature dependent parameters, i.e. Seebeck coefficientS, density , thermal conductivity and diffusivity and specific heat capacity , should be optimised. Overall the aim is a betterfigure of merit zT.