Research Progress of New Thermoelectric Materials

Thermoelectric materials can realize transfer between electricity and heat. On one hand, harvesting electricity from temperature difference can be a future way to achieve energy; on the other hand, the temperature of thermoelectric materials can be precisely controlled. After decades of development, thermoelectric materials have been grown rapidly, but the overall efficiency is still low. In order to further enhance the device efficiency, the novel thermoelectric materials need to be discovered. This review summarize the recent development of some new kinds of thermoelectric materials with their applications in sensors and integrated circuits. It aims to prosper the applications of the thermoelectric materials.