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-                   ZTnews
+   A ZT Services Publication on Thermoelectricity
-             "All Z News, All Z Time"
+       Made possible by contributions from:
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-   Global Thermoelectrics, http://www.globalte.com
+   Hi-Z, http://www.hi-z.com/
-   ITTJ, http://ittj.zts.com/
+   Marlow Industries, http://www.marlow.com/
-   Marvel, http://www.marvelte.com/
+   Melcor, http://www.lairdtech.com/
-   Peltech, http://www.peltech.com/
+   TE Technology, http://www.tetech.com/
-   Tellurex, http://www.tellurex.com/
+   Thermion, http://www.thermion-company.com/
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-        ZTnews for 20071125 (That's November 25, 2007)
+             Cronin B. Vining, Listmaster
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CONTENTS
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NEWS:
       +- Hicks and Dresselhaus 15 Years On
          http://www.zts.com/node/5283

       +- Ultra Compact Compresors - Competition for TE
          http://www.zts.com/node/5277

       +- Google Alerts on Thermoelectrics 20071125
          http://www.zts.com/node/5284


UPCOMING EVENTS UPDATES:  (+-+-  = New Info., Full list below.)


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NEWS:
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       +- Hicks and Dresselhaus 15 Years On
          http://www.zts.com/node/5283

MIT issued a press release Nov. 20, 2007 [1] briefly describing some of
Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus's thermoelectric work and drawing attention to
her invited talk Monday Nov. 26, 2007 at the Fall MRS Meeting in Boston
(Symposium U, Thermoelectric Power Generation [2], paper U2.4, 2:30pm).

She's a great speaker and a world class scientist.  If can, go to her
talk.  If you can't make her talk, check out  the Dresselhaus Group
homepage [3].

The original announcement from  The MIT Press [4]  has been widely
reproduced.  A Goolge search on the title of the MIT Press release yields:

     * PhysOrg [5]
     * Science Daily [6]
     * Thaindian News [7]
     * Lockergnome [8]
     * Energy Daily [9]
     * Environmental-Expert [10]
     * EurekAlert [11]
     * AZoNano [12]

And those are just from the first page of the Goolge search.  You must
admire the MIT PR guys:  they do get the word out..

The institutions Dresselhaus and MIT are world class, among the best and
I begrudge them nothing.  PRs are necessarily brief and energetically
optimistic.   But given the attention in this case I thought I'd comment
on a few claims from the PR that caught my attention:

    1. "Novel thermoelectric materials have already resulted in a new
consumer product: a simple, efficient way of cooling car seats in hot
climates."
    2. "Her work ...  invigorated the field, and now there are real
applications like seat coolers in cars."
    3. "People saw that paper and the field started"
    4. "Now there are conferences devoted to it."

The first two claims concern the Amerigon Climate Control Seats [13]
(CCS), which must be the most sucessful thermoelectric product to date.
  There are two problems with claims 1 and 2:  first the CCS use old
bismuth-telluride-based materials which haven't been novel for 40 years
and second the MIT work probably had nothing to do with the development
of these products.  Certainly true that "Her work ... invigorated the
field" and also true "there are now real applications like seat coolers
in cars" but as far as I am aware there is no causal connection between
the two.

The third and fouth claims are also true in a way:  people did see the
Hicks-Dresselhaus paper(s) and around that time the field really grew.
But it didn't start then, it grew.  And today there are indeed
conferences devoted to it, but there were then too.  Only smaller and
fewer.  No question that Dresselhaus contributed mightily to the growth,
but there were other equally important contributions as well.
Technically I'd cite off-hand the co-discovery of the Skutterudites
independently by Slack and Caillat, Slack's coining of the
"Phonon-Glass, Electron-Crystal" concept, and of course
Venkatasubramanian's phonon-blocking superlattices.  Also crucial was
the initial interest from  Dr. Rudy Buser, Director of the Army Night
Vision Lab and then by Stuart Wolf (DARPA) and  John Pazik (Office of
Naval Research) who, unlike Buser, actually provided R&D funds.

To be sure, it is hard to imagine what thermoelectrics would be like
today without Dresselhaus, and I'd rather not try.  But the PR gives the
definite impression that it is a one-trick pony which is far from true.

I'd also like to remark on what I view as the real significance of the
early papers by Hicks and Dresselhaus (which I'll call HD).  First the
theoretical paper on quantum wells and then one on wires:

Hicks, L.D. and M.S. Dresselhaus, Effect of quantum-well structures on
the thermoelectric figure of merit. [14] Phys. Rev. B, 1993. 47(19): p.
12727-12731.

Hicks, L.D. and M.S. Dresselhaus, Thermoelectric Figure of Merit of a
One-Dimensional Quantum Wire [15]. Phys. Rev. B, 1993. 47(24): p.
16631-16634.

The quantum well paper concluded they had the "potential (empahsis in
the original) to increase ZT by a factor of 13".  I can tell you this
did indeed "invigorate" the field.   Probably the experimental paper
referred to in the PR is this one

Hicks, L.D., et al., Experimental study of the effect of quantum-well
structures on the thermoelectric figure of merit. [16] Phys. Rev. B,
1996. 53(16): p. R10493-R10496.

which essentially confirms the Seebeck is enhanced more or less as
described by the theory.  Nice work and everyone in the field should be
familiar with these papers.

Today, you don't hear as much talk about this sort of 'quantum
confinement' and the focus is more on the phonons.  The Seebeck is
indeed enhanced, but other 'bad' things happen too.  Lower mobility, for
one.  Nothing close to the hoped for improvements has yet materialized
due to this physics.  What we've seen for the HD ideas is perhaps tens
of percent improvement in ZT, far less than the initial hopes.

It is possible, of course, that Seebeck enhancement is going on in some
of today's ZT~2+ 'nanocomposites', compensating for the loss of mobility
and allowing lower thermal conductivity to play out in higher ZT values.
  These are not simple matters and much R&D is still needed to sort out
exactly what's going on.  But it is far more complex than the initial HD
ides.

Make no mistake:  the HD work did not lead to cooling car seats or any
other commercialization that I'm aware.  Nor has it, by itself, resulted
in really large ZT value execpt on paper..  Not yet, anyway.

For me, this does not diminish the importance of the HD contributions
whatsoever.  Progress is rarely in a straight line.  The real
significance of the HD work is that it allowed serious people to be
optimistic about thermoelectrics after a long period of pessimism.  HD
outlined a physically plausible, eminently testable approach with
sufficient detail that anyone practiced in the art could pursue.  Also
it  had a decent chance of really large improvements and came from
credible people who were not previously in thermoelectrics, and didn't
need to be.  Taken as a whole there is no question this invigorated the
field.

That HD has, so far, come up short is a disappointment, of course.
Pauling said the key is "you have a lot of ideas and you throw away the
bad ones."  In the early 1990's I was looking for 6-10 ideas each of
which had a 5% chance of working.  That way you'd get an even chance, or
better, that one of  them would work.  If we could figure out winners in
advance, we wouldn't need so many great scientists like Millie
Dresselhaus to work everything out.  But we can't, so we do.

For the curious (or the glutton for punishment), I gave a paper at
ECT2007 [17] on  the last 15 years of thermoelectrics which discusses
this history further.  You may download from this link:

Vining, C.B. ZT ~ 3.5:  Fifteen Years of Progress and Things to Come
[18]. in European Conference on Thermoelectrics, ECT2007. 2007. Odessa,
Ukraine.

Links:
[1] http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/nanoenergy-1120.html
[2] http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/doc.asp?CID=11140&DID=201650
[3] http://mgm.mit.edu/group/
[4] http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/nanoenergy-1120.html
[5] http://www.physorg.com/news114799893.html
[6] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071120195658.htm
[7]
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/thermoelectric-materials-may-be-the-key-to-energy-savings_1006028.html
[8]
http://www.lockergnome.com/news/2007/11/20/thermoelectric-materials-one-key-to-energy-savings/
[9]
http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/MIT_Thermoelectric_Materials_Are_One_Key_To_Energy_Savings_999.html
[10]
http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=6891&codi=23025&idproducttype=6&idmainpage=34&level=0
[11] http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/miot-mtm112007.php
[12] http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=5364
[13] http://www.amerigon.com/

[14] http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v47/p12727
[15] http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v47/p16631
[16] http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v53/pR10493
[17] http://ect2007.thermion-company.com/
[18] http://ect2007.thermion-company.com/system/files/u1/pdf/02.pdf



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       +- Ultra Compact Compresors - Competition for TE
          http://www.zts.com/node/5277

Embraco Ultra Compact CompressorIt is common knowledge that small 
compressors are much less efficienct than large ones, leaving 
thermoelectric coolers as the technology of choice for small-scale 
applications.  Then again, maybe not.

Compressors are a moving target and we are seeing more and more small 
compressors, like the ones described in the attached report from 
Fabricio C Possamai, an R&D engineer at Embraco [1], one of the world's 
major compressor manufacturers.

This particular Embraco compressor is small, delivers 60 W of cooling 
and is not much less efficient than large compressors. Might be worth 
keeping an eye on this technology, even if it isn't exactly thermoelectric.


Attachment				Size
20071113-Embraco-UltraCompact.pdf [2]	193.91 KB

Links:
[1] http://www.embraco.com/
[2] http://www.zts.com/system/files/20071113-Embraco-UltraCompact.pdf



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       +- Google Alerts on Thermoelectrics 20071125
          http://www.zts.com/node/5284


This week in Google

     * Dresselhaus to Address Fall MRS
           o See my ZT Commentary [1]on the subject above

     * California Encourages College Drinking, Thermoelectric-Style
       [2]
           o Time reports "freshmen at California colleges are asked to 
keep their Red Bulls in thermoelectric fridges".  That's all they say 
about thermoelectrics and I have no other references to this.  Yet.

     * Small refrigerator a cool gift for wine lovers [3]
           o A review of inexpensive wine coolers.  Four thermoelectric 
and two compressor models compared.

     * Ulysses' mission extended [4]
           o Original mission: study the sun for 5 years. Now 18 years 
old and in good health the RTG is putting out less power due to 
radioactive decay but otherwise is perking right along.

     * Mini Pub Kegerator [5]
           o An ad really, but describes a small thermoelectric cooled 
beer keg fridge.

     * AMS Technologies Introduces Compact, Low Noise Laser Diode 
Control [6]
           o Market launch announcement of a combined laser driver 
temperature controller, to be used in combination with thermoelectrics 
for temperature stability.

     * CoolIT Systems Unleashes the Boreas CPU/GPU Cooler [7]
           o TE cooler intended for high end gaming PCs uses 12 TE 
                 modules.  Look at the size of this thing.


Links:
[1] http://www.zts.com/node/5283
[2] http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1686805,00.html
[3] http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=78924
[4] http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=24055
[5] http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20071109/mini-pub-kegerator/
[6] 
http://www.photonicsonline.com/content/news/article.asp?DocID={90E8684B-525A-4A87-919A-AA26950846CC}&Bucket=Current 
Headlines&VNETCOOKIE=NO
[7] http://www.legitreviews.com/news/4082/


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UPCOMING EVENTS ( +-+- = New or Updated Information)
COMPLETE LIST:
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
     +- PacRim7
        From: 2007-11-11 Through: 2007-11-14
        Location: Shanghai International Convention Center
                  - Shanghai, CHINA
        Contact: Wenqing Zhang wqzhang [at] mail [dot] sic [dot] ac [dot] cn
                 Ph:+86-21-5241-2416, FAX+86-21-5241-3122
        Abstract Due Date: May 1, 2007
        Higher Fees May Apply After: September 30, 2007
        Website: http://www.sic.ac.cn/meeting/pacrim7/
        Info Last Updated: 2007-01-10

     +- Fall 2007 MRS Symposium U: Thermoelectric Power Generation
        From: 2007-11-26 Through: 2007-11-30
        Location: Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston Hotel
                  Boston, MA, USA
        Contact: Timothy Hogan hogant [at] egr [dot] msu [dot] edu
                 Ph: +1 (517) 432-3176, FAX:
        Abstract Due Date: June 20, 2007
        Higher Fees May Apply After: TBD
        Website: http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/doc.asp?CID=8005&DID=192319
        Info Last Updated: 2007-05-02

     +- Advanced Processing for Novel Functional Materials - APNFM 2008
        From: 2008-01-23 Through: 2008-01-25
        Location: International Congress Center - Dresden, Germany
        Contact: Dr. Jürgen Schmidt info [at] apnfm [dot] de
                 Ph: +49 (0) 351 2537 324, FAX: +49 (0) 351 2554 462
        Abstract Due Date: 31 July 2007
        Higher Fees May Apply After: 1 December 2007
        Website: http://www.apnfm.de/
        Info Last Updated: 2007-05-22

    +- 2008 MRS Spring Meeting: Energy Harvesting
       From: 2008-03-24 Through: 2008-03-28
       Location: Moscone West and San Francisco Marriott
                 - San Francisco, CA, USA
       Contact: Harry Radousky radousky1 [at] llnl [dot] gov
                Ph: +1 925-422-4478, FAX: +1 925-422-3519
       Abstract Due Date: November 1, 2007
       Website: http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/doc.asp?CID=9285&DID=197719
       Info Last Updated: 2007-10-23


    +- E-MRS 2008 Spring Meeting: Unconv. Thermoelectrics
       From: 2008-05-26 Through: 2008-05-30
       Location: Congress Center - Strasbourg, France
       Contact: Anke WEIDENKAFF anke.weidenkaff [at] empa [dot] ch
                Ph: +41 44 823 4131, FAX: +41 44 823 4034
       Abstract Due Date: January 16, 2008
       Higher Fees May Apply After: April 17, 2008
       Website:
http://www.emrs-strasbourg.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=232
       Info Last Updated: 2007-10-23

    +- ECT2008, European Conference on Thermoelectrics
       From: 2008-07-02 Through: 2008-07-04
       Location: Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris, Rue
            Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 5, France
       Contact: Prof. Claude Godart, Institut de Chimie et Matériaux
            Paris-Est (ICMPE) Thiais, France godart [at] icmpe [dot] cnrs [dot] fr
       Website:  TBD
       Info Last Updated: 2007-10-22

    +- ICT2008, Corvalis, Oregon USA
       From: 2008-08-03 Through: 2008-08-07
       Location: LaSells Stewart Conference - Corvallis, Oregon, USA
       Contact: David Johnson davej [at] uoregon [dot] edu
                Ph:+1 541-346-4612, FAX
       Website: http://www.its.org
       Info Last Updated: 2006-12-20

    +- ITS2009 & ETS2009
       From: 2009-07-26 Through: 2009-07-30
       Location: - Freiburg, Germany
       Contact: Dr. Harald Böttner harald.boettner [at] ipm [dot] fraunhofer [dot] de
                Ph: 0049/761/8857-121, FAX: 0049/761/8857-224
       Abstract Due Date:
       Higher Fees May Apply After:
       Website: TBD
       Info Last Updated: 2007-10-22


-- 
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That's all for today.  Let me know if I forgot anything!

       - Cronin