Permanent-magnet-based transverse thermoelectric generator with high fill factor driven by anomalous Nernst effect

Abstract

A transverse thermoelectric generator for magnetic-field-free and high-density power generation utilizing the anomalous Nernst effect is constructed and its performance is characterized. By alternately stacking two different permanent magnets with the large coercivity and anomalous Nernst coefficients of opposite sign, transverse thermoelectric voltage and power can be generated in the absence of external magnetic fields and enhanced owing to a thermopile structure without useless electrode layers. In the permanent-magnet-based stack, the magnetic attractive force enables easy construction of the thermopile structure with a high fill factor. In this study, we construct a bulk module consisting of twelve pairs of SmCo$_5$- and Nd$_2$Fe$_{14}$B-type permanent magnets with respectively having the positive and negative anomalous Nernst coefficients, whose fill factor reaches ~80%, whereas that of conventional thermoelectric modules based on the Seebeck effect is typically 30-60%. We demonstrate magnetic-field-free anomalous Nernst power generation up to 177 $\mu$W at a temperature difference of 75 K around room temperature, which corresponds to the largest anomalous Nernst power density of 65 $\mu$W/cm$^2$. The presented module structure concept will provide a design guideline for high-performance transverse thermoelectric power generation.