MSU On the Road to Success with Thermoelectric Research

MSU On the Road to Success with Thermoelectric Research by Jane L. DePriest

In the hunt for alternative energy sources, a strong candidate is thermoelectrics, and Michigan State University is home to one of the most advanced thermoelectric power generation research groups in the world.

The MSU thermoelectric team is a diverse group of researchers. They cut across many engineering disciplines and include other MSU researchers as well as businesses and government agencies. “The best thing about MSU is the willingness of researchers to work cross-discipline, cross-campus, all working together,” says Timothy
Hogan, an associate professor in electrical and computer engineering and one of the primary researchers in thermoelectrics at MSU.

What the researchers have in common is that they are passionate about thermoelectrics and are focused on practical applications for thermoelectric power generation within a reasonable time frame. What is unique about the thermoelectric research at MSU is that it is not focused on one aspect of the research and development process, but rather includes the entire spectrum from basic research in thermoelectric materials through the
development of prototype thermoelectric modules and on to integrating the modules into a practical, functioning
thermoelectric generator.

“The strength of the MSU thermoelectric research team is the breadth of expertise,” says Mercouri Kanatzidis, professor of chemistry at Northwestern University. “They have the ability to synthesize novel materials, then measure, characterize, and understand their physical properties all in the same institution.” He says that the “premier” group for thermoelectric research has been the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). “I think the MSU team rivals what’s being done at JPL,” says Kanatzidis. He can speak with authority because the MSU thermoelectric research started with his groundbreaking work on materials. Kanatzidis was a Distinguished University Professor in chemistry at MSU until 2006, when he left to take the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Chair in Chemistry at Northwestern. He continues as an important part of the thermoelectric team at MSU, specializing in property measurements and evaluation of the stoichiometry of thermoelectric materials.

For the full article, please see page 18 of the Fall 2007 Research Currents.