Plumbing the depths of thermoelectrics in search of novel materials

Thermoelectrics enable the direct conversion of heat into electrical energy—and vice versa. This makes them interesting for a range of technological applications. In the search for thermoelectric materials with the best possible properties, a research team at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) investigated various metallic alloys. A mixture of nickel and gold proved particularly promising. The researchers have published their results in Science Advances.