Investigation of fundamental thermal & electronic
transport phenomena
Thermoelectric (TE) devices convert heat flux into electrical power and are, therefore, of utmost technological importance. We manipulate the microstructure of TE materials to optimize their conversion efficiency. We focus on both chalcogenides and oxides, and process TE materials with different compositions and microstructures, supplemented by ab-initio calculations as guidelines for the design process. Employing advanced characterization techniques, we analyze the materials structure and chemistry down to the nanometer length-scale, as well as their TE properties. This enables us drawing the correlation between the microstructure and TE performance of materials.