Research Projects

The increasing demand for clean sustainable energy throughout the world requires us to discover new factors of existing technologies to enable the production and use of green, clean renewable energy going forward. Heat is an omnipresent and unavoidable phenomenon, making it one of the most accessible sources of renewable energy. Thermoelectric (TE) materials can convert waste heat to useful electricity and play a pivotal role future energy management. In this proposal, we are proposing transverse thermoelectric effect where generated voltage runs perpendicular to the thermal gradient and applied magnetic field. Our research efforts connect across many steps creating a unified and cooperative approach to reach our aims. In this project, we will be solving two major issues related to traditional TE devices based on the Seebeck effect such as the use of both p-type and n-type materials with comparable thermal expansion coefficients and complicated arrangement of electrical connections. By leveraging the unique electronic structures such as flat bands, a small Fermi pocket and robust surface states in magnetic topological quantum materials, we're streamlining device fabrication, reducing complexity, and minimizing production steps. To date, a pronounced anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) has been reported in only a limited number of systems. Additionally, existing TQMs typically demonstrate either a minimal ANE at room temperature or achieve substantial values exclusively at lower temperatures, highlighting the necessity for the discovery and development of new TQMs that exhibit high ANE at room temperature and beyond for practical applications. This project aims to use a combination of strong chemical intuition, expertise in synthetic chemistry, materials processing, good measurement skills and understanding of structure-property correlations to design and synthesis high quality single crystal of TQMs with high transverse thermopower and ultra-low thermal conductivity, exploiting principles of chemical bonding, electronegativity and crystal structure for advanced TE energy conversion. Investigating magnetic TQMs will enhance our understanding of the interplay between topology and transverse thermoelectrics. Additionally, high-temperature Nernst measurements will pave the way for new research directions in these fields. The high-performance transverse TE materials and devices developed under this project hold potential for waste heat recovery applications industries like across automobiles, thermal, chemical, and steel power plants. Notably, thermoelectric technology facilitates the conversion of waste heat into electricity without producing harmful emissions, thereby addressing India's increasing demand for clean energy. In light of India's ambitious goal to reach 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, transverse thermoelectrics could be instrumental in decreasing reliance on fossil fuels and bolstering energy security.