Theoretical prospective of quasicrystals as thermoelectric materials - art. no. 094206

In this work we present a theoretical study on the possible use of quasicry stals as potential thermoelectric materials. By considering a suitable mode l for the spectral conductivity we show that high values of the thermoelect ric figure of merit, beyond the practical upper limit ZT=1, may be expected for certain quasicrystalline alloys. We also study their performance at di fferent working temperature ranges, favoring low temperature thermoelectric applications for these materials. By comparing our analytical results with available experimental data on the transport coefficients of different qua sicrystalline families. we suggest the icosahedral Cd-Yb and the dodecagona l Ta-Te binary phases as two promising candidates for further research.