According to the US Daily Science Network, in the 19th century, scientists discovered that heating a thermoelectric material generates a small amount of current, but it has been a huge challenge to increase the current obtained to meet the needs of modern technology. Now, Swiss scientists have designed a novel model, the “cold atomic thermoelectric systemâ€, which is expected to significantly increase the current intensity of thermoelectric materials. The latest research published in the latest issue of Science will also help scientists simulate and design new thermoelectric materials.
The process of using heat to generate electricity is generally as follows: First, a combustible is burned, and then the liquid is heated to move with a kinetic turbine, and eventually a current is generated. In thermoelectric materials, the entire cycle is performed by natural heat engines, but this method is inefficient, and the efficiency of thermoelectric generators is far lower than that of thermal power plants with respect to currently known materials.
The model created by the quantum optics research team led by Tilman Islinger of the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, is located in a vacuum chamber made of glass surrounded by lithium atom gases. Scientists use lasers to cool the gas to near absolute zero. Under this condition, every move of atoms in a gas is analogous to electrons in matter. In order to simulate thermoelectric materials, atoms are trapped by a laser, creating a spatially-varying structure in which atoms move like electrons in matter.
The use of laser-captured atoms to simulate the behavior of complex materials is a testament to ETH's scientists. Over the past 10 years, they have studied superconductors and even some conductive devices in this way, and now they are starting to simulate thermoelectric materials. Tilman Esslinger said: "Using a simple 'formula', we simulated a thermoelectric material with efficiency comparable to that of natural materials."
Although the study is still in the "defective" stage, they said that the experiment may have a major impact on materials science. Researcher Jean-Philip Brautout said: "Our experiment is expected to serve as a benchmark." The research team intends to study more complex systems in the next two years.
Scientists said that this "cold atomic thermoelectric system" helps us better understand thermoelectricity. Because natural materials are very complex, it is difficult to experiment with them. Using this system, a comparison between theory and experiment can be made, and it is also possible to explore the possible effects of flaws and confusion that occur within the material. The new experiment also allows scientists to use a controlled approach to study the basic processes of thermoelectrics, which will help the simulation and design of thermoelectric materials in the future.
Currently, thermoelectric technology is mainly used to power small devices such as space probes (such as the "Curs" Mars) or sensors, but experts hope that this technology can be used in more fields in the future. The auto company is testing different thermoelectric systems and hopes to use the exhaust gas generated by the cars to generate electricity, thus saving fuel consumption by 3% to 5%. Other consumer applications include: Recharging your phone or watch through body heat, etc. (Liu Xia)
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