This book includes updated theoretical considerations which provide an insight into avenues of research most likely to result in further improvements in material performance. It details the latest techniques for the preparation of thermoelectric materials employed in energy harvesting, together with advances in the thermoelectric characterisation of nanoscale material. The book reviews the use of neutron beams to investigate phonons, whose behaviour govern the lattice thermal conductivity and includes a chapter on patents-- Provided by publisher.

With contributions from leading experts, this book begins with an overview of thermoelectric nanotechnology, setting the scene for the topics covered in the rest of the volume. It provides a comprehensive review of the progress made in the development of modules and their application in devices. The book highlights dramatic advances in miniaturization and its successful commercialization in energy harvesting. It then covers thermoelectric energy harvesting and contains reviews of the solar, automotive, and medical harvesting of waste heat-- Provided by publisher.