ABSTRACT
In the previous chapters we have described the main TE effects and
their related transport coefficients, by considering bothmacroscopic
andmicroscopic points of view. The efficiency of TE devices for both
power generation and cooling applications has then been expressed
in terms of a basic parameter, namely, the dimensionless FOM, which
depends on the transport coefficients of the considered material
and it is, therefore, temperature dependent. In order to optimize the
Z T value, two main approaches has been also introduced. The first one focuses on the lattice contribution to the thermal conductivity,
while the second onemainly deals with the close relationship among
the electrical conductivity, the Seebeck coefficient and the charge
carriers contribution to the thermal conductivity.
