Temperature dependence of the properties of thermoelectric materials measured under steady-state isothermal conditions

Jay R. Maddux; Patrick J. Taylor

doi:10.1117/12.1518456

28 May 2013 Temperature dependence of the properties of thermoelectric materials measured under steady-state isothermal conditions

Jay R. Maddux, Patrick J. Taylor

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8728, Energy Harvesting and Storage: Materials, Devices, and Applications IV; 87280N (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.1518456
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2013, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

A simple technique with low thermal losses is used to characterize the temperature-dependent properties of some well-known thermoelectric (TE) materials. With this measurement technique, a radiant heat source is used to impose a small temperature gradient (ΔT) on a TE sample in an otherwise isothermal chamber. The Seebeck coefficient is determined directly from the linear relationship of the sample voltage with varying ΔT. To determine thermal conductivity, a small electrical current (I) is passed through the sample which causes Peltier cooling at the heated surface and can be used to force the sample toward an isothermal condition with its surroundings. At steady-state, the thermal conductivity is determined from the ΔT vs. I relationship. Because the sample is nearly isothermal with its surroundings, thermal parasitic losses are negligibly small and thermal conductivity can be determined with high accuracy.

Citation Download Citation

Jay R. Maddux and Patrick J. Taylor "Temperature dependence of the properties of thermoelectric materials measured under steady-state isothermal conditions", Proc. SPIE 8728, Energy Harvesting and Storage: Materials, Devices, and Applications IV, 87280N (28 May 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.1518456

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