[Research Highlights Vol.51] Enhanced Thermoelectric Conversion in Magnetic Materials through Spin Fluctuations

Rather than letting ‘waste’ heat dissipate, it is possible to use it and convert it into electrical energy. Such thermoelectric conversion is an important technology, especially in today’s context of alternative energy sources. Yet, achieving high recovery efficiency is difficult. Now, Tsujii Naohito at the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan, and colleagues have discovered that certain compounds belonging to the so-called class of weak itinerant ferromagnets display enhanced thermoelectric power under certain conditions. The finding, which is explained by a physical effect known as spin fluctuations, is likely an important step towards the development of practical thermoelectric generation systems.