Traditional thermoelectric materials and challenges

Abstract In this chapter, we discuss traditional thermoelectric materials such as chalcogenide, Zintl phase, Heusler compounds, Si-Ge alloys, Bi2Te3, oxide-based thermoelectric materials, etc. Dependence of thermoelectric parameters such as Seebeck coefficient, conductivity, and power factor of bulk and nanostructured materials on carrier concentration is also explored. The doping effect on the power factor and the figure of merit of different thermoelectric materials, the relation of Seebeck coefficient, and electrical conductivity with effective mass are also entertained in this chapter. In nanostructured materials, the quantum confinement effect directly affects the figure of merit and, therefore, the power factor changes with dimensionality.