Research Projects

The need for cold-storage chains in warmer climates and room warming devices in colder climates calls for materials that can provide cold/warm temperatures at reasonable ecological and economical costs. Currently, both cold-storage and warming units rely on fossil fuels, and an alternative is essential. Recent research has focused on developing materials with large caloric effects near room temperature for solid-state refrigeration devices. The caloric properties of these materials depend on their crystallographic, electronic, and magnetic structures. Magneto- or electro-caloric materials can be used for cooling applications where thermal changes can be achieved by magnetic/electric fields. Thermoelectric cooling effect is also an emerging area of research for refrigeration purposes. The use of thermoelectric materials for converting wasteful thermal energy to electricity (seebeck effect) or vice versa (Peltier effect) and using them for refrigeration or heating by the combination of electric current and thermal gradient (Thomson effect) has led to significant energy conservation. Thermoelectric materials have numerous applications in our daily lives, such as automotive thermoelectric generators, thermoelectric refrigerators, and power spacecraft using radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). The study aims to identify oxide materials that show high zT and low thermal conductivity over a wide temperature range, as well as explore magnetic thermoelectric materials to understand how magnetic fields or ordering can reduce thermal conductivity and increase the figure of merit. Combining thermoelectric and caloric properties in a single-phase compound can lead to interesting device manufacturing capabilities and new dimensions to multifunctionality in materials.