Research Associate,
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
German Aerospace Center
Institute of Materials Research|| Thermoelectric materials and Systems || Linder Hohe, 51147 Koln || Germany
Email: subhra.jana@dlr.de
Thermoelectric materials, considered one of the finest discoveries in the history of science, took birth in the first quarter of the 19th century by German scientist Johann Seebeck and French scientist Jean Charles Athanase Peltier.
Thermoelectric materials are used in different applications such as sensors, peltier coolers, space (RTG) etc. However, it is not commercialized widely even after 200 years of its discovery due to material and device level challenges. In todays world it thermoelectricity has found new impetus due to the growing energy demand and grave concern of global warming
About two third of the energy from any industries is wasted as heat energy. Recovering that waste heat and converting it into useful energy can open a new window to not only protect environment but also reduce the of fossil fuel burning. Thermoelectric generator (TEG) can be game changer to mitigate this energy crisis and protect environment. The goal of my PhD work (in Dr. Tanmoy Maiti's group) was to develop efficient thermoelectric material which can directly convert waste heat into useful electrical energy. My focus is to design oxide thermoelectric material because of its high temperature endurance as well as environmentally benignity. In addition, I also study structure property relation to develop profound understanding of electronic and thermal transport.
Currently, I am working in DLR, German Aerospace Center. Here, I am working under DFG project. Basically, my focus is to understand the microstrutcture and property relations in Mg based alloys, which will be helpful in developing successful thermoelectric device for space as well as automobiles. This project will also help us to understand device level optimization for the application point of view.
