SEMICONDUTTORI NANOSTRUTTURATI PER APPLICAZIONI TERMOELETTRICHE: UN CONCETTO INNOVATIVO DIMOSTRATO AL COMPUTER

Abstract

I will discuss the thermal transport properties of nanostructured silicongermanium alloys for thermoelectric applications. By means of atomistic simulations, I will show that it is in fact possible to design a nanocomposite with optimal thermoelectric performances, i.e. maximizing its figure of merit. In particular, computer experiments provide quantitative evidence that the phonon flux from hot to cold regions (phonons are the microscopic heat carriers) is dramatically affected by the network of grain boundaries present in the nanocomposite