Nonlinear Thermoelectricity in Disordered Nanowires

作者：Muttalib K A; Hershfield Selman

来源：Physical Review Applied, 2015, 3(5): 054003.

DOI：10.1103/PhysRevApplied.3.054003

The creation of efficient thermoelectric devices remains a technological challenge. Using nanoscale-engineered devices offers some potential advantages over bulk materials; however, they also present new problems. The microscopic Hamiltonian of a device which optimizes the efficiency and power output for a particular load and temperature profile is not necessarily optimum for another temperature difference and external load. Furthermore, one cannot necessarily manufacture a particular Hamiltonian. In this paper, we calculate the nonlinear thermoelectric transport through a gate-modulated one-dimensional disordered semiconducting nanowire connected to two large leads. The disorder is chosen to be Lorentzian, which allows exact results for transmission through the wire for all strengths of disorder. By tuning the gate voltage acting on the nanowire, we show that the thermodynamic efficiency can be made large enough to be industrially competitive. The gate voltage allows one to maximize the efficiency and power output for particular temperature differences between the leads as well as different external loads.

• 出版日期2015-5-8