Thermodynamics and Thermoelectricity

Abstract

Thermoelectric (TE) effects result from the interference of electrical current and heat flow in various materials. This chapter presents a retrospective view on some of the milestones in the development of thermoelectricity. It reviews the thermodynamic theory of galvano- and thermomagnetic effects. As for TE materials, the galvano- and thermomagnetic effects can be found to be more pronounced in semiconductor materials. The chapter considers a basic thermodynamic system and thermodynamics of the ideal Fermi gas. Classical thermodynamics, which is useful for describing equilibrium states, provides very incomplete information on the actual physical phenomena, which are characterized by irreversibility and nonequilibrium states. Since the TE process implies the coupling of the heat flux and electric current, these two fluxes should be driven optimally. They derived two key parameters of the compatibility approach, the relative current and the TE potential.