ICT2014 Abstracts

The increased research and development of thermoelectric materials for energy conversion applications is driven primarily by the need for improved efficiency in the global utilization of energy resources.  To facilitate the search for higher efficiency thermoelectric materials, we have developed a suite of complimentary high-throughput screening systems for combinatorial films. These custom capabilities include a facility for combinatorial thin film synthesis and suite of tools for screening the thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistance of combinatorial films. The local Seebeck coefficient and resistance (to calculate the resistivity) are measured via custom-built automated apparatus at room temperature and elevated temperature. Thermal effusivity (to calculate the thermal conductivity) is measured using a frequency domain thermoreflectance technique. This paper will discuss applications using these tools on thermoelectric materials, including combinatorial composition-spread films, conventional films, ribbons/tapes, and single crystals.