Multicomponent Silicides for Thermoelectric Materials ― Phase Stabilities, Synthesis, and Device Tailoring

This book provides a comprehensive review of the current state of the art in silicon compounds for thermoelectric applications. Silicides are materials with good initial thermoelectric properties, which can be enhanced through tuning of their micro- and macrostructure. These compounds present various conduction mechanisms and complex band structures. Moreover, some are isotropic, and others anisotropic, which is highly beneficial for device tailoring. Silicides are a particularly attractive material for sensors, thermoelectric generators, and other applications because they are environmentally friendly, abundant, and low cost. This concise volume covers fundamentals and applications for an audience of materials scientists, chemists, solid-state physicists, and engineers.

Jean Claude Tedenac, presently Emeritus Professor at the University of Montpellier, was a full Professor at the former University Montpellier 2 until 2014. He was a Visiting Professor at the ITMO University in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2015-2016. His research focuses on the physical chemistry of semiconductors and problems of materials science. He has studied phase stabilities of bulk materials as well as thin films and nanomaterials. A major achievement has been connecting the thermodynamics of multicomponent systems, kinetics, and crystal growth for thermoelectric materials and titanium-based alloys. To date, he has published a total of 256 papers in ISI-indexed journals.