Thermoelectric materials can turn temperature differences directly into electrical power, with no moving parts and no working fluids. Devices based on these materials already power deep-space missions and provide precise solid-state cooling for sensitive electronics and sensors.
However, today’s thermoelectric materials are often too inefficient, expensive, or reliant on scarce or toxic elements to be used widely for energy recovery or cooling on Earth.
Alexandra Zevalkink, C. Robert and Kathyrn M. Weir Endowed Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State, investigates how atomic structure, chemical bonding, and defects control both heat flow and electrical charge transport in complex semiconductors. Her group focuses on largely unexplored materials families such as Zintl phases and superionic conductors, using advanced synthesis, measurement, and modeling to connect crystal chemistry with real transport properties.
In particular, they are interested in the elastic behavior of materials. Elasticity is a fundamental, but often overlooked property, that actually plays an important role in thermoelectric performance. By establishing clear design rules, her research supports the development of materials that are more efficient, durable, and less hazardous, and that rely on more abundant elements.
Such materials could make it practical to reclaim energy from industrial waste-heat streams, provide quiet, maintenance-free cooling for sensors and electronics, and deliver reliable power in harsh or remote environments. NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover, which uses thermoelectrics to operate in an extreme environment, illustrates the kind of demanding application these materials can ultimately support.
To explore Zevalkink's work in more depth, visit:
- Controlling the Order–Disorder Transition Temperature through Anion Substitution in CuCrX2 (X = S, Se, Te) [Article]
- Ag Vacancies as “Killer-Defects” in CaAgSb Thermoelectrics [Article]
- Elastic Moduli: a Tool for Understanding Chemical Bonding and Thermal Transport in Thermoelectric Materials [Article]
- Alexandra Zevalkink: Exploring space-age materials [Article]
- Research website [Website]
- Google Scholar page [Website]
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