Contents Contents

## **Foreword XIII**

**Preface XV Section 1 Advanced Thermoelectric Materials 1**

**Section 1 Advanced Thermoelectric Materials 1** Chapter 1 **Layered Cobaltites and Natural Chalcogenides for**

**Thermoelectrics 3**


Lukas Stepien, Aljoscha Roch, Roman Tkachov and Tomasz

Christophe Candolfi, Yohan Bouyrie, Selma Sassi, Anne Dauscher

**Band Structures of EDOB-EDT-TTF Salts Composed of PF6 −,**


**Semiconductors 91**

Xin Song and Terje G. Finstad

**Thermoelectric Applications 147**


**Section 4 Measurement Techniques for Characterization Materials and Devices 349**

Chapter 8 **Nanostructured State-of-the-Art Thermoelectric Materials**

Chapter 9 **Nanometer Structured Epitaxial Films and Foliated Layers**

Chapter 10 **Thermoelectric Power Generation by Clathrates 239**

**Mg2X Compounds (X = Si, Ge, Sn) 263**

**Thermoelectric Materials 287**

**Complex Plasma Liquids 303** Aamir Shahzad and Maogang He

**Section 3 Constructional Nanomaterials 321**

Yaniv Gelbstein

Chapter 11 **Efficient Thermoelectric Materials Based on Solid Solutions of**

**Section 2 Simulation of Phenomena Related to Thermoelectricity 285**

Chapter 12 **Simulation of Morphological Effects on Thermoelectric Power, Thermal and Electrical Conductivity in Multi‐Phase**

Chapter 14 **Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Nanocomposites Towards Thermoelectric Applications 323** Mohammad Arjmand and Soheil Sadeghi

Chapter 13 **Thermal Conductivity and Non-Newtonian Behavior of**

**Topological Surface States 219**

and Viacheslav A. Danilov

Andrei V. Shevelkov

**Based on Bismuth and Antimony Chalcogenides with**

Lidia N. Lukyanova, Yuri A. Boikov, Oleg A. Usov, Mikhail P. Volkov

Vladimir K. Zaitsev, Grigoriy N. Isachenko and Alexander T. Burkov

Alonso

**VI** Contents

**Prepared by Straight-Forward Arc-Melting Method 181** Federico Serrano-Sánchez, Mouna Gharsallah, Julián Bermúdez, Félix Carrascoso, Norbert M. Nemes, Oscar J. Dura, Marco A. López de la Torre, José L. Martínez, María T. Fernández-Díaz and José A.

	- **Section 6 Discussion Panel 535**

#### Preface Foreword

The Actinomycetes or Actinobacteria are a group of Gram-positive bacteria with high gua‐ Dear reader,

nine and cytosine content in their DNA. They are morphologically diverse, ranging from coccoid, fragmenting hyphal forms to those with a highly differentiated branched myceli‐ Greetings from the president of the Ferrotec Group.

um. Many of these bacteria produce external spores and are widely distributed in terrestrial ( *Streptomyces* spp.) and aquatic (freshwater – *Micromonospora* sp. and *Nocardia* sp. and ma‐ rine – *Micropolyspora* sp.) ecosystems, where they play a crucial role in decomposition of or‐ ganic materials, thereby contributing in organic matter turnover and carbon cycle. This replenishes the supply of nutrients in the soil and is an important part of the humus forma‐ Despite the fact that the first successful demonstration of thermoelectric generators was more than 70 years ago, this type of electricity generation is not widely used even today due to low conversion efficiency, small electrical power generated by unit thermoelectric generation module, reliability issues, and cost issues. There also exist many issues in thermoelectric materials science and the manufacturing technology of thermoelectric generating modules.

tion. Actinobacteria also inhabit a vast array of plants (commensals – *Leifsonia* sp.; nitrogenfixing symbionts – *Frankia* sp.) and animals (gastrointestinal tract resident – *Rhodococcus* sp. and *Bifidobacterium* sp.). Furthermore, several pathogenic species ( *Mycobacterium* sp., *Nocar‐ dia* sp., *Tropheryma* sp., *Corynebacterium* sp., and *Propionibacterium* sp.) are often encountered among the phylum of Actinobacteria. Actinobacteria hold a prominent position as targets in screening programs due to their di‐ A new era in thermoelectric power generation is becoming a reality as a result of the synergistic effect of recent years' success both in thermoelectricity and in related areas of science and technology, such as materials science, microelectronics, electronic devices design, and manufacturing. Impressive advances in microelectronics and electronic device technology have led to a radical reduction in energy consumption of individual appliances and their cost, making such devices affordable for all segments of the population in the world.

versity and their proven ability to produce novel metabolites. They are universally re‐ nowned as secondary metabolite producers and hence are of high pharmacological and commercial interest. Approximately, 23,000 microbial secondary metabolites with tremen‐ As a result, a great potential market niche for personal generators (hundreds of millions of pieces) for charging USB devices and LED lighting for people residing in off-grid territories is now opening.

dous economic importance have been identified so far, in which 12,000 compounds are pro‐ duced by Actinobacteria. Interestingly, 7600 bioactive compounds are reported from the members of the genus Streptomyces with antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiprotozoan, antihelminthic, antialgal, antimalarial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, and This market will give opportunity to greatly improve access to education for children and to information and digital services for off-grid residents by connecting to communication nets (cell telephony, Internet, and broadcasting) through personal electronic devices (smartphones, tabs (pads), notebooks) that will result in improving living standards of up to 1.2 billion people.

neuritogenic activities. In addition, they also employed as insecticides, herbicides, and fun‐ gicides and as growth promotants for certain plants and food animals (probiotics). Further‐ more, the ability of Actinobacteria in biodegradation of agricultural wastes and their extensive distribution in soil, compost, water, and elsewhere in the environment make them Now, after decades of hibernation, thermoelectric power generation has a chance to make a quick jump in development and widespread application. Moving ahead requires coordinating the efforts of the entire thermoelectric community, including a wide exchange of research and development results.

very important to the agricultural industries. This book presents an introductory overview of Actinobacteria with three main divisions: taxonomic principles, bioprospecting, and agriculture and industrial utility, which covers isolation, cultivation methods, and identification of Actinobacteria and production and bio‐ technological potential of antibacterial compounds and enzymes from Actinobacteria. More‐ The Ferrotec Group, being one of the largest thermoelectric companies in the world, is aware of its responsibility to support the efforts that may lead to the widespread industrial application of thermoelectricity. We hope that this series of chapters, published on our initiative, can provide information to support researchers and engineers in the area of thermoelectric power generation.

over, this book also provides a comprehensive account on plant growth-promoting (PGP) and pollutant degrading ability of Actinobacteria and the exploitation of Actinobacteria as ecofriendly nanofactories for biosynthesis of nanoparticles, such as gold and silver. This **A. Yamamura,** President, Ferrotec Group

book will be beneficial for the graduate students, teachers, researchers, biotechnologists, and other professionals, who are interested to fortify and expand their knowledge about Actino‐
