Theoretical Power Output of Thermoelectric Power Generator based on Metal Oxide Semiconductor

Abstract

Optimizing the structure and material combination of thermoelectric power generators (TEGs) is essential to their efficiency. In order to develop an efficient TEG based on an oxide semiconductor, we theoretically simulated the power output of a TEG based on potential oxide semiconductors (ZnO, TiO2, and CuO) combined with electrode materials (Au, Ag, Cu, graphene, graphite, ITO, IZO, and AZO), and determined the influence of this material combination on the TEG’s power output. In this study, the power output was evaluated from simulated heat distribution and output voltage of a single leg and thermopiles using a simulator. The combination of ZnO and graphene showed the highest power output. This is likely due to the high thermal conductivity of graphene which allowed a high temperature difference in the ZnO. Moreover, the power output increased with decreasing electrode thickness, which allowed high output voltage to be generated by the thermoelectric material. The power density of the TEG consisting of several thermopiles based on ZnO and graphene materials was 29 mW/cm2, which was comparable with that of the reported TEG consisting of Te-based materials. Thus, a TEG based on oxide semiconductor materials could be developed to reduce the use of harmful thermoelectric materials.

Keywords

• electrode
• oxide semiconductor
• thermoelectric material
• thermoelectric power generator