Team creates crystals that generate electricity from heat
To convert heat into electricity, easily accessible materials from harmless raw materials open up new perspectives in the development of safe and inexpensive so-called "thermoelectric materials.
Scientists have discovered a novel synthetic material called a "superconductor," which they say is composed of copper, manganese, germanium, and sulfur, and it is produced in a rather simple process, says CRISMAT researcher Emmanuel Guilmeau
The heat is converted into electricity. In industrial processes, waste heat can be used as electric power. The cooling of electronic parts in cars is a converse approach.
The best conversion efficiency can be found in expensive and toxic elements such as lead and tellurium. derivatives of natural copper-based sulfide minerals have been found to be safer alternatives
The team was able to develop a new thermoelectric material that showed two crystal structures within the same material. They were surprised at the results.
The novel material produced is stable up to 400 degrees Celsius, which is within the waste heat temperature range of most industries.