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High Throughput Screening Tools for Thermoelectric Materials

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Abstract

A suite of complementary high-throughput screening systems for combinatorial films was developed at National Institute of Standards and Technology to facilitate the search for efficient thermoelectric materials. These custom-designed capabilities include a facility for combinatorial thin film synthesis and a suite of tools for screening the Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistance (electrical resistivity), and thermal effusivity (thermal conductivity) of these films. The Seebeck coefficient and resistance are measured via custom-built automated apparatus at both ambient and high temperatures. Thermal effusivity is measured using a frequency domain thermoreflectance technique. This paper will discuss applications using these tools on representative thermoelectric materials, including combinatorial composition-spread films, conventional films, single crystals, and ribbons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA

    W. Wong-Ng, M. Otani, J. Martin, S. Barron & M. L. Green

  2. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China

    Y. Yan & X. F. Tang

  3. Department of Material Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID, 83725, USA

    K. R. Talley

  4. Center for Nanotechnology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27105, USA

    D. L. Carroll & C. Hewitt

  5. Materials Science and Engineering Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    H. Joress

  6. Energy Technologies and Materials Division, University of Dayton Research Institute/Air Force Research Laboratory, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA

    E. L. Thomas

Authors
  1. W. Wong-Ng
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  2. Y. Yan
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  3. M. Otani
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  4. J. Martin
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  5. K. R. Talley
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  6. S. Barron
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  7. D. L. Carroll
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  8. C. Hewitt
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  9. H. Joress
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  10. E. L. Thomas
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  11. M. L. Green
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  12. X. F. Tang
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Correspondence to W. Wong-Ng.

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Wong-Ng, W., Yan, Y., Otani, M. et al. High Throughput Screening Tools for Thermoelectric Materials. J. Electron. Mater. 44, 1688–1696 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-014-3519-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-014-3519-1

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