WITH NEW DESIGN, BULK SEMICONDUCTOR PROVES IT CAN TAKE THE HEAT

CHESTNUT HILL, MA (April 25, 2012) – The intense interest in harvesting energy from heat sources has led to a renewed push to discover materials that can more efficiently convert heat into electricity. Some researchers are finding those gains by re-designing materials scientists have been working with for years. A team of Boston College and MIT researchers report developing a novel, nanotech design that boosts the thermoelectric performance of a bulk alloy semiconductor by 30 to 40 percent above its previously achieved figure of merit, the measuring stick of conversion efficiency in