Biography
Takao Mori received his PhD at the University of Tokyo, Dept. of Physics. He is a Field Director at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan. He is also a Professor of the University of Tsukuba, Graduate School, and elected Board Member of the International Thermoelectric Society (ITS), elected President of ITS from July 2023. Mori’s research interests are, broadly speaking, to find ways to control structures and properties of inorganic materials. He is especially involved now in development of thermoelectric materials and multidisciplinary enhancement principles, such as utilizing magnetism, in order to find new routes to achieve high control over band structures and electrical and thermal transport. Mori is a Senior Editor of Materials Today Physics and Associate Editor of Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy, an Editorial or Advisory Board Member of Journal of Solid State Chemistry, Advances in Applied Ceramics, Journal of Materiomics, Joule. He is a Program Manager of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Mirai Large-scale Program. Mori has published over 350 journal papers, 25 book chapters, and 35 patents.
Title: Developing Thermoelectric Materials and Power Generation Devices
Abstract: Thermoelectric materials can be used in power generation devices to convert waste or ambient heat to electricity. This can be very useful for energy saving to contribute to carbon neutral goals and also to power innumerable IoT sensors. For high performance, it is necessary to control thermal and electronic transport to a high degree. Namely, to overcome tradeoffs to achieve a high electrical conductivity, large Seebeck coefficient, and low thermal conductivity. We have discovered several mechanisms, involving band engineering, phonon engineering, defect engineering, etc., where we have been able to achieve enhanced thermoelectric properties. Utilization of Anderson localized states has recently led to notable enhancement of the Seebeck coefficients in ZnO and Fe2VAl Heuslers, for example. Various forms of magnetism have also been demonstrated to enhance the Seebeck coefficient. In addition to traditional nano-microstructuring, partially occupied atomic sites, or heterogeneous bonding in mixed anion compounds have been respectively shown to result in exceptional low lattice thermal conductivity. Striking interstitial and grain boundary control led to Mg3(Sb,Bi)2 being enhanced to rival long time thermoelectric champion bismuth telluride for both power generation and cooling. Recently, a single leg device of Mg3Sb2-type has achieved thermoelectric conversion efficiency higher than 12%. The actual performance of the developed materials themselves is higher. Electrode technologies for these novel high-performance materials are also being developed.
