Abstract
The thermoelectric (Seebeck) coefficient α and thermoelectric quality factor (figure of merit) ZT are estimated for a tunnel junction in metals. It is shown that α can be of the order of hundreds of μV/K while ZT can approach values ∼0.1–1. The maxima of α(h) and ZT(h) correspond to a certain width h of the tunnel junction; such h is about a few nanometers. The results we obtained can find applications in the constructions of novel thermoelectric generators.
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Protsenko, I.E. Thermoelectric properties of tunnel junctions. J Russ Laser Res 31, 481–494 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10946-010-9170-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10946-010-9170-2