Henry He
Interest in Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs) has been increasing in recent years as more focus continues to be put on improving the energy efficiency of vehicles and power stations. The drive to find new thermoelectric materials that use abundant and cheap constituents brings many researchers to the Half-Heusler series, a member of which is the XNiSn type semiconducting compound (X=Ti, Zr, Hf). This group of materials shows great promise without using rare elements typical of current thermoelectrics such as Te. Currently, many different processing methods and compositions are being tested in order to provide ideal micro/nanostructuring in order to maximise device performance. The Atom Probe technique allows for excellent spatial resolution in 3 dimensions, enabling the characterisation of these materials to levels that other techniques cannot provide. The focus of my project will be observing the changes in the various mirostructural features of the samples produced from different compositions and manufacturing routes by collaborators at Glasgow and Heriot-Watt Universities.
