ABSTRACT
Half-Heusler (HH) is a kind of intermetallic compound with excellent thermoelectric (TE) properties. TE properties of HH materials have been improved by doping, substitutions, and alloying based on their unique crystallographic structures, significantly decreasing the thermal conductivity of these compounds. Additionally, the HH compounds are thermally stable at high temperatures, with good mechanical properties besides excellent TE properties. Therefore, HH compounds have been widely applied in moderate-temperature TE devices for power generation. Physical properties of nanostructured HH materials have been reviewed. HH compounds have been fabricated into modules/devices because of their excellent properties. HH modules are best suited for mid-high-temperature application such as waste heat recovery from the exhaust of vehicles and industrial waste heat due to their very high power density and thermal and mechanical stability. The high power density of the HH modules is due to good ZT of the materials, very low contact resistance of the device, and excellent mechanical properties.
