Integration of 2-Dimensional Materials for Thermoelectric Power Generation

Recent developments in nanomaterial research have significantly progressed the performance of thermoelectric devices. Theoretical investigations of the thermoelectic properties of 2-Dimentional monolayers demonstrate a high figure of merit (ZT) .[1, 2]. Here, we investigate the integration of these 2-Dimensional materials for power generation applications using solar heat. We show that using black phosphorus monolayer (phosphorene) as the $p$-type material, and Molybdenum disulfide (MoS$_{\mathrm{2}})$ monolayers as the $n$-type material, we get an effective figure of merit (ZT) at least (1.5) with a conversion efficiency of 13{\%} at 280$^{\mathrm{o}}$C. Our results suggest that the integration of various 2-Dimensional materials is a promising approach for commercial thermoelectric power generation applications. \textbf{References:} .[1] W. Huang, X. Luo, C. K. Gan, S. Y. Quek, and G. Liang, "Theoretical study of thermoelectric properties of few-layer MoS 2 and WSe 2," \textit{Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, }vol. 16, pp. 10866-10874, 2014. [2] R. Fei, A. Faghaninia, R. Soklaski, J.-A. Yan, C. Lo, and L. Yang, "Enhanced thermoelectric efficiency via orthogonal electrical and thermal conductances in phosphorene," \textit{Nano Letters, }vol. 14, pp. 6393-6399, 2014.