Thermoelectric materials science and technology toward applications

This special issue of Applied Physics Letters presents pioneering articles in the field of thermoelectric (TE) materials and devices. TE materials are pivotal in delivering one of the solutions to the global energy crisis as they can successfully convert the waste heat into a useful electrical energy. This realization compels researchers to develop high-performance, environmentally friendly and earth-abundant materials, which would be beneficial for heat to electrical energy conversion in power plants, households, automobiles, space technology, and other areas. Doping of external elements can substantially optimize the carriers, modulate the electronic structure, or affect the phonon dynamics and have a significant impact on the TE performance. Flexible TE materials have been successfully integrated into body-worn fabrics, which use heat from body to generate electricity.