ABSTRACT
Bismuth (Bi), Antimony (Sb), and the Bi–Sb alloys form a complete class of thermoelectric semiconductors that are particularly suited to thermoelectric applications below room temperature. Large thermal conductivity suppression by nanostructuring at low temperature is much more significant than any other nanostructured thermoelectric materials at high temperatures. This chapter discusses the current status of research on low-temperature thermoelectric materials and the thermoelectric properties of some rare earth (RE) alloys that we think will be a good direction for research to bring thermoelectric cryogenic cooling into a reality. More research into other materials may be required, rather than focusing only on heavily doped semiconductor thermoelectric materials. The other research directions points toward Kondo materials. The investigation of RE alloys could be a good direction to bring thermoelectric cryogenic cooling toward reality. These materials need further study and optimization to make them practical for applications.
