The Third Way of Thermal-Electric Conversion beyond Seebeck and Pyroelectric Effects [electronic resource]

• Ngôn ngữ: eng
• Ký hiệu phân loại: 621.31 Generation, modification, storage, transmission of electric power
• Thông tin xuất bản: Los Alamos, N.M. : Oak Ridge, Tenn. : Los Alamos National Laboratory ; Distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy, 2014
• Mô tả vật lý: Size: 6 p. : , digital, PDF file.
• Bộ sưu tập: Metadata
• ID: 256623
• Chủ đề: 1. 30 direct energy conversion; 2. 32 energy conservation, consumption, and utilization; 3. 36 materials science; 4. 75 condensed matter physics, superconductivity and superfluidity; 5. 77 nanoscience and nanotechnology; 6. Energy sciences; 7. Materials science

Tóm tắt

Thermal-electric conversion is crucial for smart energy control and harvesting, such as thermal sensing and waste heat recovering. So far, people are aware of only two ways of direct thermal-electric conversion, Seebeck and pyroelectric effects, each with distinct working conditions and limitations. Here, we report the third way of thermal-electric conversion beyond Seebeck and pyroelectric effects. In contrast to Seebeck effect that requires spatial temperature difference, the-third-way converts the time-dependent ambient temperature fluctuation into electricity, similar to the behavior of pyroelectricity. However, the-third-way is also distinct from pyroelectric effect in the sense that it does not require polar materials but applies to general conducting systems. We demonstrate that the-third-way results from the temperature-fluctuation-induced dynamical charge redistribution. It is a consequence of the fundamental nonequilibrium thermodynamics and has a deep connection to the topological phase in quantum mechanics. Our findings expand our knowledge and provide new means of thermal-electric energy harvesting.