Performance Enhancement of Thermoelectric Devices

Thermoelectric materials hold tremendous promise for advances in fundamental science and practical applications; particularly for robust electricity generation in extreme and remote environments. However, for most materials, the energy conversion efficiency is limited by the proportionality between the electrical and thermal conductivities and small values of the Seebeck coefficient for metals. Despite these limitations, promising thermoelectric properties have been reported forsome Yb-based heavy-fermion compounds. In this dissertation, I explore the hypothesis that the thermoelectric properties of those family compounds, due to their novel structure with exotic electronic and magnetic properties, can be further enhanced through chemical substitution. Additionally, I elaborate on the manufacturability of thermoelectric devices using these compounds and their possible application for cooling probes.