Abstract Thermoelectric materials can be used in direct conversion of heat to electricity and vice versa. The past decade has witnessed the rapid growth of thermoelectric research, targeting high thermoelectric performance either via reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity or via enhancement of the power factor. In this review, we firstly summarize the recent advances in bulk thermoelectric materials with reduced lattice thermal conductivity by nano-microstructure control and also newly discovered materials with intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity. We then discuss ways to enhance the electron transport abilities for achieving higher power factor by both novel and traditional methods. Finally, we highlight the recent development in single-crystal thermoelectric materials. These strategies are successful in synergistically manipulating the thermal conductivity and electron transport properties, which have significantly advanced thermoelectric performance on materials. For device applications on these high-performance materials, new opportunities may arise though stability, electrode contacts, mechanical properties, and other problems need to be solved in the near future.

中文翻译：

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高性能热电材料路线

摘要 热电材料可用于热与电的直接转换，反之亦然。过去十年见证了热电研究的快速发展，通过降低晶格热导率或提高功率因数来实现高热电性能。在这篇综述中，我们首先总结了通过纳米微结构控制降低晶格热导率的块状热电材料的最新进展，以及新发现的具有固有低晶格热导率的材料。然后，我们讨论了通过新颖和传统方法增强电子传输能力以实现更高功率因数的方法。最后，我们重点介绍了单晶热电材料的最新发展。这些策略成功地协同控制了热导率和电子传输特性，显着提高了材料的热电性能。对于这些高性能材料的器件应用，尽管稳定性、电极接触、机械性能和其他问题需要在不久的将来解决，但新的机会可能会出现。