Electron highways are cooler

• 成果类型: Editorial Material
• 署名作者: Jakhar, Navita; Ibanez, Maria
• 署名单位: Institute of Science & Technology - Austria
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-12879
• DOI: 10.1126/science.ado4077
• 发表日期: 2024-03-15
• 页码: 1184-1184
• 关键词: performance

摘要

Efficient and sustainable cooling is paramount to contemporary living. However, current cooling strategies require substantial energy. Thermoelectric technology could reduce energy consumption through localized cooling ( 1 ). This requires devices that efficiently convert electron flow into heat exchange, which has proven to be a formidable material challenge. On page 1204 of this issue, Qin et al. ( 2 ) report that through manipulating a material's atomic configuration and microstructure, outstanding cooling capabilities can be achieved. The approach centers on facilitating electron movement near room temperature, which enables electrons to move up to seven times faster than in the materials used for current commercial thermoelectric coolers ( 3 ).