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-                   ZTnews
+   A ZT Services Publication on Thermoelectricity
-             "All Z News, All Z Time"
+       Made possible by contributions from:
-   International Thermoelectric Society, http://www.its.org/
+   BSST/Amerigon, http://www.bsst.com/
-   EIC Solutions, Inc., http://www.eicsolutionsinc.com
+   FerroTec, http://www.ferrotec.com/products/thermal/
-   Global Thermoelectrics, http://www.globalte.com
+   Hi-Z, http://www.hi-z.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/
+
-        Check them out at http://www.zts.com/
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-        ZTnews for 20080110 (That's January 10, 2008)
+             Cronin B. Vining, Listmaster
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CONTENTS
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NEWS:
       +- Desperately Seeking Silicon
          http://www.zts.com/node/5316

       +- MRS 2007 Fall Meeting Symp. U: Thermoelectric Power Generation
          http://www.zts.com/node/5322

       +- Thermoelectric Patent Art from Prof. Anatychuk
          http://www.zts.com/node/5315

       +- Voyager 2 Just Keeps On Going
          http://www.zts.com/node/5321

       +- NanoCoolers has shut its doors
          http://www.zts.com/node/5319

       +- Nanofreeze Raises 7.4 MSEK (about US$1.15)
          http://www.zts.com/node/5320

       +- 5N completes $34.5m IPO to fund German CdTe plant
          http://www.zts.com/node/5317

       +- Prof. Uemura Retires as ZT Services Patron
          http://www.zts.com/node/5318

       +- 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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       +- Desperately Seeking Silicon
          http://www.zts.com/node/5316

Two remarkable articles on the thermoelectric properties of silicon
nanowires (and an accompanying News and Views piece by me) appear in
today's issue (Jan. 10, 2008) of Nature [1]:

1. Hochbaum, A. I. et al., Enhanced thermoelectric performance of rough
silicon nanowires. Nature 451, 163-167 (2008).
   http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7175/abs/nature06381.html

2. Boukai, A. I. et al., Silicon nanowires as efficient thermoelectric
materials. Nature 451, 168-171 (2008).
   http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7175/abs/nature06458.html

3. Vining, C. B., Desperately seeking silicon. Nature 451, 132-133 (2008).
   http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7175/full/451132a.html

4. see also Editor's Summary:
  http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7175/edsumm/e080110-07.html

Long believed useless for thermoelectric energy conversion groups
working independently at Stanford and Caltech have measured ZT values
near 1 for silicon nanowires at and below room temperature.  Both groups
find dramatically lower thermal conductivity values and the Caltech
group, working on somewhat smaller nanowires, finds a greatly enhanced
Seebeck coefficient due to a 1-D phonon drag effect.

Perhaps we've come to expect thermal conductivity reduction in
nanostructures but to see such a large effect in silicon is still new
and interesting.  But to see a really large ZT value attributed to
phonon-drag is a first and sure to stimulate further work along these lines.

I'm afraid you'll have to get the full articles either from Nature or
through your library, but the above links will show you the first paragraph.

Links:
[1] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7175/
[2] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7175/abs/nature06381.html
[3] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7175/abs/nature06458.html
[4] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7175/full/451132a.html
[5] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7175/edsumm/e080110-07.html

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       +- MRS 2007 Fall Meeting Symp. U: Thermoelectric Power Generation
          http://www.zts.com/node/5322

I did not attend the MRS 2007 Fall Meeting, Symp. U: Thermoelectric
Power Generation held in Boston, MA November 26 - 29, 2007 but reports
from those who where there indicate the hall was standing room only for
most of the day.  I counted some 132 presentations, which is quite a lot
to pack into 4 days.  Titles and authors are available online:

          http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/doc.asp?CID=11140&DID=201650 [1]

Nanocomposites and PbTe-related materials (including the LAST materials)
were heavily represented.

The Proceedings are not yet available naturally, but you can purchase a
hardcopy or join MRS and view the papers online (when they become
available) by going to:

http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/sec_subscribe.asp?CID=11336&DID=202440 [2]

Links:
[1] http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/doc.asp?CID=11140&DID=201650
[2] http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/sec_subscribe.asp?CID=11336&DID=202440

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       +- Thermoelectric Patent Art from Prof. Anatychuk
          http://www.zts.com/node/5315

Prof. Anatychuk, Director of the Institute of Thermoelectricity [1],
has compiled a remarkable graphic to celebrate the New Year and
Holidays.  It includes graphics of thermopiles, mostly from patents,
going back to 1843.  With his permission and for your pleasure here it is:

http://www.zts.com/system/files/new_2008_eng_anatychuk_0.jpg

Links:
[1] http://ite.cv.ukrtel.net/
[2] http://www.zts.com/system/files/new_2008_eng_anatychuk_0.jpg

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       +- Voyager 2 Just Keeps On Going
          http://www.zts.com/node/5321

The Voyager 2 spacecraft [1] passed through the heliosheath boundary,
also called the solar wind termination shock, on August 30, 2007.  A
classic example of overdesign, the Plasma Science instrument, radio and
power supply (a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator using
silicon-germanium thermocouples) are among the systems on Voyager 2
still working 30 years after launch.

Links:
[1] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071210111958.htm

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       +- NanoCoolers has shut its doors
          http://www.zts.com/node/5319

Nanocoolers [1] , the Austin,Texas thermoelectric startup (2002) company
with 15 employees founded by form IBM researcher Uttam Ghoshal has
closed shop after burning through about US$19M of venture captial and
about $3M of Texas state funding as reported by the Austin Statesman
[2].   Krishna Srinivasan of Austin Ventures is quoted as saying "we
couldn't get it up to the performance level that made it fit for the
refrigeration business we were talking about." Srinivasan said.  The
Statesman goes on to say NanoCoolers hopes to sell the technology to a
semiconductor manufacturing company.

Links:
[1] http://www.nanocoolers.com/
[2]
http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/technology/12/06/1206nanocoolers.html

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       +- Nanofreeze Raises 7.4 MSEK (about US$1.15)
          http://www.zts.com/node/5320

From the NanoFreeze.com [1] website, the Lund, Sweden based company
founded in 2005 "develops a thermoelectric coolchip having a high
efficiency, 10-15 times higher than so called Peltier-elements working
on the same basic principle."   Their website assures us they are using
nanotechnology, that they have raised some 7.4 MSEK (US$1.15) venture
capital and plan to have their first product in 2010.

Honestly, I didn't think you could get 10-15 tiems better than Peltier
devices.  That seems like Carnot efficiency, or even better.  But then,
I don't have any startup funding.

Links:
[1] http://www.nanofreeze.se/

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       +- 5N completes $34.5m IPO to fund German CdTe plant
          http://www.zts.com/node/5317

Semiconductor Today [1] reported December 26, 2007:

"High-purity metals and alloy producer 5N Plus Inc [2]of Montreal,
Québec, Canada has completed its initial public offering on the Toronto
Stock Exchange at a price of $3.00 per share, yielding proceeds of
$34.5m. In addition, in a parallel secondary offering, minority
shareholder II-VI Inc of Saxonburg, PA, USA has sold its stake in 5N
Plus for gross proceeds of $32m."

5N Plus has been known to provide both raw elements and thermoelectric
grade bismuth telluride alloys.  II-VI Inc. is the parent company of
Marlow Industries, a major thermoelectric cooling manufacturer.  Company
info indicates they provide products for the "rapidly expanding" solar
market, and a number of other electronic applications.

Since their IPO at $3/share on Dec. 20, 2007 the share price has reached
$9.45 and is closed yesterday (Jan. 9, 2007) at $6.35.

Links:
[1]
http://www.semiconductor-today.com/news_items/NEWS_2007/DEC_07/5N_261207.htm
[2] http://www.5nplus.com/

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       +- Prof. Uemura Retires as ZT Services Patron
          http://www.zts.com/node/5318

Prof. Kin-ichi Uemura of Yokohama, Japan (organizer of ICT93 in
Yokohama, Japan and long time contributor to thermoelectrics through his
previously employer, Komatsu) informs me he has retired as a Patron of
ZT Services.  Prof. Uemura's ITTJ ( Institute for Thermoelectric
Technologies Japan ) [1] was a charter sponsor of ZT Services and his
support these many years has been much appreciated.   At age 85 he
maintains his passion and interest in Thermoelectricity and hopes to see
further development of the field.

Links:
[1] http://www.zts.com/banner/4764

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       +- Google Alerts on Thermoelectrics 20080110
          http://www.zts.com/node/5323

Recent Google searches on thermoelectrics turned up (in no particular
order):

    * Nextreme Thermal SolutionsTM announces Ultra-High Packing
Fraction (UPF) OptoCooler module [1]
          o “The OptoCooler module is the industry's first
thermoelectric device to offer a heat pumping density in excess of 70
W/cm2, a ten-fold increase in heat pumping capacity over conventional
TEC modules,” said Dave Koester, Vice President of Engineering at
Nextreme.  Available now and can be purchased for $12 in unit volumes of
1000’s.

    * Super Soaker Inventor Aims to Cut Solar Costs in Half [2]
          o Lonnie Johnson, inventor of the "Super Soaker", has a new
invention: JTEC (Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion System).  JTEC
is a kind of closed-cycle fuel cell where hydrogen circulates between
two membrane-electrode assemblies.  According to the Popular Mechanics
article, efficiency approaches the Carnot ideal.

    * Advances in Energy Harvesting Technologies [3]
          o Frost and Sullivan have produced a report on possible
energy harvesting technologies, including thermoelectrics.  An overview
and the table of contents are available online.

    * Honda sees Clarity as future [4]
          o Article about a hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell powered car under
development by Honda.  The sole thermoelectric connection: "The
engineers reduced the load on the air-conditioning system by bringing
climate control directly to the occupants, using fans in the seats to
blow air cooled or warmed by thermoelectric elements."

    * S.A.R.A.H. the RTG powered home!?! [5]
          o It was news to me, but there is a TV show called Eureka.
The show features the home of the future known as "Self Actuated
Residential Automated Habitat" (aka S.A.R.A.H.).  Electrical power is
supposedly provided by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator.  Seriously.

    * Tiny devices harvest heat from machines to power sensors [6]
          o An industry promo piece on Micropelt, highlighting that
"Micropelt is producing kits (shown above) that allow potential users to
evaluate its energy-harvesting technology."  Nice photo.

    * Fête Keeps Constant Temperature [7]
          o I'd seen thermoelectric hot/cold plates for laboratory use
but this is the first consumer product along those lines:  a
thermoelectric hot/cold serving plate.  Seems to be a prototype at this
time.

    * World's First Commercial Solar Thermoelectric Power Plant [8]
          o Thermoelectric, yes: it converts heat to electricity.  But
no thermocouples: it concentrates sunlight to generate 250 oC heat,
which makes steam to run a turbine.  It generates 11 MW, enough to power
about 6000 homes.

Links:
[1] http://triangle.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=146311
[2] http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4243793.html
[3]
http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/report-brochure.pag?id=D0C2-01-00-00-00
[4] http://www.ohio.com/business/12783307.html
[5] http://www.ohio.com/business/12783307.html
[6] http://www.drives.co.uk/fullstory.asp?id=2169
[7]
http://www.gearlive.com/news/article/q307-fete-keeps-constant-temperature/
[8] http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/12/10/fsummit.climate.solarpower/

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UPCOMING EVENTS ( +-+- = New or Updated Information)
COMPLETE LIST:
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     +- 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