Influences of Applied Electric Fields on Thermoelectric Properties of P-type Bulk Polycrystalline Materials

Abstract

We presented a theoretical model to predict thermoelectric properties of P-type bulk polycrystalline materials under a temperature gradient and an external electric field. The model is based on the Boltzmann transport equation for holes, and particularly, in which the hole scattering at the grain boundary is taken as the boundary conditions. The influences of external electric fields on the Seebeck coefficient and the power factor have been studied respectively. The results indicate that the applied external electric fields can impose non-trivial influences on the values of Seebeck coefficient and power factor, and the influences on Seebeck coefficient become more significant as the size of grain decreases.