New matchbook-sized device turns wasted heat into clean electricity

Thermoelectric devices reliably convert heat into electricity, but the technology has been inefficient in real-world conditions, the scientists said. The new modules achieved high efficiencies previously obtained only in laboratory settings. When the modules are placed near a heat source, electrons moving from the hot side to the cold side produce an electric current. The devices have no moving parts and produce no chemical reactions or emissions, offering a promising source of clean energy, the scientists said.The modules generated up to 28% higher power and 162% higher power density—power per unit mass of thermoelectric materials—compared to a commercial module when placed near hot water lines, the scientists reported in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

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