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ITSnews is an aperiodic publication on thermoelectrics.
Lately more aperiodic than usual, if that's possible
News
Two International Thermoelectric Society (ITS) Board Director positions will be opened for election at the 30th International Conference on Thermoelectrics, to be held in Traverse City, Michigan, USA, July 17th-21st, 2011.
The ITS Nomination and Election Committee invites you to nominate your candidate(s) (self-nominations are also welcomed) by clicking here. (*ITS Nomination and Election Committee discourages multiple representations from the same institute/university.)
The Committee will make every effort to attract candidates from a variety of geographic, technical fields, and institutions, to best serve the Mission of the International Thermoelectric Society. The list of current Board Directors can be found here.
Board Directors are elected for a three-years term and are expected to play an active role in the International Thermoelectric Society business and promotion. The major goals (objectives) of the Society, as stated in the ITS Bylaws, are:
- TO PROMOTE the advancement of the thermoelectric industry, science and engineering;
- TO PROMOTE collection and exchange of information and education which will benefit the thermoelectric community;
- TO PROMOTE an understanding of the role thermoelectric technology may play in environmental impact and mitigating global climate change;
- TO PROMOTE systemization of measurements and cross-comparison of materials and devices;
- TO PROMOTE awareness of the larger community to thermoelectric issues and solicit wider involvement;
- TO PROMOTE various forums of exchange of information and achievements:
- TO PROMOTE a mechanism for coordinating and promoting conferences;
Please use the link on this website to submit your nominations. Nominations will be accepted until May31st, 2011. Short biographies and information about the Nominees will be posted on the ITS web site at (http://www.its.org) shortly after.
The election of the new Board Directors will be organized at the Conference in Traverse City and further details will be announced at the beginning of the conference by the ITS President and the ITS Nomination and Election Committee.
The International Thermoelectric Society (ITS) announces the 2011 Outstanding Achievement in Thermoelectrics Award to recognize the outstanding achievements of a senior scientist for their contributions to the field of thermoelectricty.
The award carries a cash prize of two thousand US dollars ($2000), honorary membership in the ITS and a Descriptive Certificate that will be presented at the Banquet of the 30th International Conference on Thermoelectrics (ICT 2011), in Traverse City, Michigan, USA.
Eligibility:
Distinguished member of the scientific or engineering community whose contributions in theoretical, experimental, synthetic or device research in the field of thermoelectrics is publicly available. Preference will be given to nominees that will be able to attend ICT 2011 in Traverse City, Michigan, USA (The Award will not be bestowed in absentia except in extraordinary circumstances). Current members of the ITS board of directors are not eligible.
Criteria for selection:
The winner will be chosen from among the applicants by a Selection Panel who will consider the following items:
- Journal Articles, Books, Conference Proceedings and other public promotion of their work.
- Letter(s) of recommendation for the award.
- Other recognition.
Selection Panel:
The 2011 Outstanding Achievement in Thermoelectrics Award Committee appointed by the ITS Award Committee will nominate a Selection Panel. The Selection Panel will review the nominations and make the final recommendation to the 2011 Outstanding Achievement in Thermoelectrics Award. ITS Board will make final approval or recommend that no award be made for 2011.
Application:
Should be sent by email in a pdf file to the Committee Chair Prof. Kunihito Koumoto,
(koumoto@apchem.nagoya-u.ac.jp) [sub-Chair G. Jeffrey Snyder (jsnyder@caltech.edu)], and include:
- Letter of nomination from at least one ITS member. Including a short paragraph suitable for introducing the winner at the awards banquet.
- Resume, or similar list of accomplishments.
- Additional Letters of support for the nomination
The Committee Chair must receive applications by:
Applications Due: May 15, 2011
If there is any difficulty in the winner attending the conference the ITS will endeavor to aid the winner in any way feasible in doing so.
Applications should be emailed to:
Kunihito Koumoto
Affiliation: Nagoya University, Graduate School of Engineering
Address: Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
Homepage: http://www.apchem.nagoya-u.ac.jp/06-III-1/koumotoken/index.html
Phone: +81-52-789-3327
Email: koumoto@apchem.nagoya-u.ac.jp
(use Subject: Outstanding Achievement Award Inquiry)
The International Thermoelectric Society (ITS) announces the 2011 ITS Young Investigator Award for Excellence in Research in Thermoelectrics by a young investigator who holds a researcher/engineer position in either: academia, industry, government lab or scientific institute (e.g. The Max Planck Institute). This award is to be given to a young researcher who has exhibited a record of excellent original work and significant results in the field of thermoelectrics or thermoelectric materials. The recipient should have shown significant research in the early stages of his/her career.
The award is sponsored by The International Thermoelectrics Society (ITS) and carries a cash prize of two thousand dollars ($2000 in US currency) and a Descriptive Certificate. The 2011 award will be presented at the Banquet of the 30th International Conference on Thermoelectrics (ICT2011), July 17 – 21, in Traverse City, Michigan, USA.
In addition, the recipient of the ITS Young Investigator Award will be given an invited talk at the ICT2011 in order to highlight the research leading to the award.
Eligibility:
The candidates are expected to hold a Ph.D. Degree and be actively engaged in theoretical, experimental, synthesis or device research in the field of thermoelectrics. The candidates must be in a researcher position or employed in a stable position in industry, a government lab or scientific institute (e.g. The Max Planck Institute). The candidates must be within 5 years of receiving their Ph.D. as of July 21 of the year of the nomination. The ITS Young Investigator Award for Excellence in Research in Thermoelectrics is intended for truly exceptional contributions to the field for a five-year period following the nominee’s Ph.D. The ITS Young Investigator Award is intended to be an annual award. However, in the event of the lack of applications that the ITS Board or Award Selection Committee views as meeting the expectations for this award, then no award will be given that year.
Criteria for selection:
An Award Selection Panel who will consider the afore mentioned eligibility criteria will choose the winner from among the applicants:
A nomination letter is required. A full resume of the candidate and highlighting the contributions justifying the nomination is also required. Three letters of reference are required in addition to the nomination letter. None of the letters should exceed two pages.
The work will not be judged as part of their Ph.D. thesis but work that occurred after their Ph.D. research. The work may be a continuation of their Ph.D., but significant new contributions and findings will be required. The selection committee will be considering only original work and contributions.
Journal Articles with publication dates, acceptance dates or submission dates within the 60 months preceding the July 21 cutoff date. Therefore for the 2011 award the period of consideration is July 20, 2006 through July 21, 2011.
Presentations at local, national and international meetings as well as invited seminars and colloquia in the same time period will be considered.
Other awards or recognition will also be considered.
Selection Panel:
The Selection Panel will consist of the previous ITS conference chair (i.e. ICT2010 Chairman for the 2011 Award) or his designee and he/she will serve as the Panel Chair. The Panel Deputy Chair will be appointed by the ITS President. The Panel Chair with the help of the Deputy Chair will nominate up to but not exceeding four other non-ITS Board members representing various geographical regions. The panel selection is accomplished through action of the ITS Board via whatever means are most convenient, most likely via email exchange.
Application:
Should be sent to the chair of Selection Panel:
Prof. Lidong Chen
Shanghai Institute of Ceramics
Dingxi Road 1295
Shanghai 200050, China
Tel: 0086-21-52414804
Cell: 0086-13817670804
Fax: 0086-21-52413903
e-mail: cld@mail.sic.ac.cn
A letter of nomination and no more than three letters of recommendation should be sent to Prof. Chen directly from the references and nominator. (An email attachment as a word or PDF document is preferred).
Full Resume & Highlights of the 5 years following the Ph.D.
Copies of 1st page of publications, acceptances, or submissions in the last 60 months. (Manuscripts to be submitted or in progress will not be considered.)
Titles and locale of contributed or invited presentations given in the 5-year period under consideration.
Applications must be received by:
May 15, 2011
Each panelist will rank the applications using a standardized format that will weigh in the different criteria, and will submit the results to both the Panel Chair and Deputy Chair by e-mail. Ties will be resolved by vote organized by email or by a conference call among all Panelists. If there is any difficulty in the winner attending the conference the organizing committee will endeavor to aid the winner in a feasible and reasonable manner.
THE EVENT
The 29th International Conference on Thermoelectrics (ICT2010) was a great success, fetching large attendance and further establishing a reputation as the industry and academic’s leading international conference in the field of thermoelectrics. It took place at the Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel from May 30th to June 3rd, 2010. As the second ICT held in China, ICT 2010, supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chinese Academic of Sciences, was co-organized by Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Science (SICCAS), Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) and Zhejiang University. Prof. Lidong Chen, the conference chairman and the vice director of SICCAS, presided the opening ceremony, and Prof. Hongjie Luo, the director of SICCAS and Dr. Thierry Caillat, chairman of International Thermoelectric Society (ITS), gave the welcome addresses on behalf of the organization committee and ITS, respectively.
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PARTICIPATION STATISTICS
Given that thermoelectrics is one of the most promising low carbon technologies, the conference attracted about 440 experts from 32 countries and regions, with this year’s attendees being evenly distributed among the research areas including exploration of
novel thermoelectric compounds, design and fabrication of thermoelectric nanocomposites, theoretical research and modeling, system design and optimization, integration of TE devices and application etc.. Partakers, of which 26% were students, soaked up the latest progresses, trends, and insights from colleagues, shared experiences, made new contacts and strengthened existing relationships.
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Country and area representation |
Sector representation |
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
The main conference agenda was organized according to the latest research progress and interests in the thermoelectric community. The main conference schedule included three plenary sessions and twenty-four parallel sessions broadly focused on the main topics. With 152 oral presentations and 280 posters, the conference session topics were:
- Oxide
- Tellurides
- Clathrates & zintl compounds
- Antimonides & half-Heuslers
- Silicides
- Skutterudites
- Novel materials
- Nanostructure & composite
- Low dimensional materials
- Theory
- Modeling
- Module & microsystem
- Characterization
- Auto related
- Application of TEG.
Besides five plenary talks, there were twenty-five invited presentations which were carefully arranged to ensure that all the invited presentations did not clash during parallel sessions. Besides, Dr. Hsin Wang, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, organized a special session that was International collaboration on transport properties measurements: Round-robin tests.
177 manuscripts had been accepted and will be published in the ICT2010 Proceedings which will appear in a special issue of the Journal of Electronic Materials (JEM).
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
The conference had three plenary sessions featuring five well-known and thought provoking keynote speakers. Opening Plenary presentations on 30th, May were delivered by Prof. Arun Majundar from Department of Energy, USA, Prof. Toshiro Takabatake from Hiroshima University, Japan and Prof. Qingjie Zhang, the president of WTU. Closing plenary speakers on 2nd, June included Dr. John W. Fairbanks from Department of Energy, USA and Prof. H. J. Goldsmid from University of New South Wales, Australia.
Prof. Arun Majundar gave a fascinating speech entitled “Solid-state thermoelectric energy conversion: what do we know and where do we go from here”. He discussed the various scientific developments over the past two decades regarding the role of nanostructures in improving the performance and a near-term roadmap of what else can be done to improve performance. He also discussed possible approaches for power generation and cooling with which thermoelectric devices must compete.
Prof. Qingjie Zhang presented recent development of the research activities on thermoelectric materials and device and their application in China, focusing mainly on the R&D activities in the group of the national basic research program of China (973 program) entitled “Basic research on high-efficiency thermoelectric materials and device”. He reported some interesting results about nanostructured materials, nanocomposite, filled skutterudite, and Bi2Te3- and CoSb3-based high-efficient thermoelectric devices for power generation application.
Prof. Toshiro Takabatake presented their recent findings on the structural, electronic and vibrational behaviors of type-I Ba8Ga16Sn30 and related compounds through thermodynamic and transport measurements as well as microscopic techniques such as Raman scattering, x-ray photoemission, optical conductivity, EXAFS, inelastic neutron scattering. He reported that Ba8Ga16Sn30 shows glasslike thermal conductivity that is ascribed to the strong scattering of acoustic phonons by the low-energy off-center rattling, while still behaving electrically as a heavily doped semiconducting crystal.
Dr. John W. Fairbanks’s speech was on the vehicular thermoelectric applications regarding to thermoelectric air conditioners/heater and thermoelectric generator (TEG). He reported that TEG’s designed by a team led by BSST for Ford and BMW have been tested at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). The TEG designed for the BMW X-6 would produce up to 750 Watts on highway. These TEG's will be introduced commercially in limited numbers in 2012 in the X-6 and a smaller version in the Ford Fusion. GM has also designed their TEG for the Chevy Suburban. These will also be introduced in the 2012 timeframe.
Prof. H. J. Goldsmid gave a very interesting talk about application of the transverse thermoelectric effects. He pointed out that it is possible to produce thermoelectric effects in which the electrical and thermal flows are perpendicular to one another. These effects are to be found in any material in which the Seebeck coefficient is anisotropic and there is a high ratio of electrical to thermal conductivity. He also emphasized that it is possible to obtain the required parameters in a synthetic material consisting of two phases. The two components A and B should have a large conventional figure of merit and very different electrical and thermal conductivities.
SPECIAL EVENTS
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During the conference, four candidates were elected to fill the ITS Board Director openings for more active roles in the ITS business and promotion, and they are, Prof. Jeff Snyder from CalTech, USA, Prof. Wenqing Zhang from SICCAS, China, Prof. Terry Tritt from Clemson University, USA and Dr. Ryoji Funahashi from AIST, Japan.
Also, Young Investigator Award, Goldsmid Award, Outstanding Scientific Paper Award and Outstanding Application Paper Award were granted.
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Dr. Xun Shi from SICCAS won the Young Investigator Award. |
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Dr. Chunlei Wang from Nagoya University won Outstanding Scientific Paper Award. |
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ICT meeting will be held in Europe the year after next and Danmark won the right to host the 31st International Conference on Thermoelectrics (ICT2012).
EXHIBITION
There was a small scale of exhibition accompanied the conference. Nine companies participated in the exhibition which was a rare opportunity to expand their business in China as well as in Shanghai. Participants circulated through the exhibition area
throughout the conference, speaking with representatives from exhibiting companies and learning about the latest products and measurement instruments.
List of Exhibitors:
- SPS SYNTEX Inc.
- Guandong Fuxin Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.
- Netzsch Scientific Instruments Trading (Shanghai) Ltd.
- Hangzhou Dahe Thermo-mangetics Co., Ltd. (FerroTec)
- Linseis Inc.
- Ulvac-Riko, Inc.
- Dawning Information Industry Co., Ltd.
- Quick-Ohm Küpper & Co. GmbH
- Thermoelectric Energy Conversion Technology Consortium
CONFERENCE IN SUMMARY
Thanks to the contributions of all attendees, ICT2010 proved a great success. A total of 432 presentations from 32 countries and areas were involved, making it one of the most extensive programme yet. The scale and content of ICT2010 clearly indicate conference participants' increasing interest in the field of thermoelectric, especially the attendees from host China. Importantly, one can become aware of a new trend and direction of thermoelectric science and technology in future. The exploration of new thermoelectric materials will still be under the instruction of PGEC concept, with the interest being in the modification of crystal structure unit. Nanomaterials, including nanocomposite and nanostructured materials, will still be the research spot in future, but with the emphasis moving to the research on interfacial as well as scattering mechanism by different kinds of nanoparticles. It must be pointed out that more and more researchers will turn the interest into the application, namely, thermoelectric module and system. The most possible application is the TEG installed on the car to make use of the waste heat from the exhausted gas. Hopefully commercial vehicle equipped with TEG will appear within two years. In addition, the further experimental regarding to utilize heat from highway and airfield pavement as well as entrance areas of tunnel make TEG more extensive application.
ICT2010 offered a wide variety of topics, and there were a lot of positive feedback from participants that the sessions they attended, for instance, were greatly appreciated. This was due not only to the quality of presentations itself from speakers but also to the arrangement of the sessions as well as presentation. The program and abstract book was also highly regarded by the attendees for the correlation of page numbers between the program and corresponding abstract, which is the first time in the history of ICT series conference.
Offering a unique platform to embrace all thermoelectric specialists, ICT2010 reflects the mission of the community to promote a multidisciplinary focus on materials optimization and device design while reporting the latest advances on thermoelectrics in the last year. Although thermoelectric technology has been undergoing considerable advances in the last twenty years, the current technological level cannot meet the requirement of the practical application. We are facing an energy crisis because fossil fuel has been our main energy resource for a long time and are running low. We are also facing global warming by emissions of greenhouse gases. We cannot undo what has been done. We need to use alternative and renewable green energy sources for our energy needs. Consequently, for thermoelectric scientists and engineers there are both opportunities and challenges ahead, with the former outstripping the latter. We should work together and take actions so as to enhance the performance, reliability as well as the usage durability of the thermoelectric products in future.
TO: Friends and colleagues of Jim Lombardo
FROM: Gary L. Bennett
This evening I spoke with Catherine Lombardo (Jim's wife) and Carol (Jim's daughter), learning that Jim had passed away on Saturday, 12 February. Carol sent me the obituary pasted below. Catherine Lombardo's address is 10816 Longmeadow Drive; Damascus, Maryland 20872-2241.
I had known Jim since we both worked on the NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Applications) program at what was then NASA's Lewis Research Center. Jim headed the NERVA materials branch and was instrumental in putting that work on a sound basis (I was in the reactor branch). With the cancellation of NERVA Jim and I transferred to the Multi-Hundred Watt RTG program at the AEC-NASA office in Germantown, Maryland where Jim became the MHW-RTG program manager. The continuing success of the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft testify to Jim's technical management skills.
I personally believe we wouldn't have had the GPHS-RTG had it not been for Jim's determination and dedication. He overcame almost impossible odds to deliver the highest powered, highest specific powered RTG ever. Galileo, Ulysses, Cassini and New Horizons owe their success to Jim's focus on delivering the best RTGs to date.
Gary
Dr. Gary L. Bennett
5197 West Redbridge Drive
Boise, Idaho 83703-3431
Telephone: 1+208.333.7764
James J. Lombardo, 90, died peacefully at his home in Damascus, MD on Feb12, 2011. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Catherine Adams Lombardo; daughter, Carol Lombardo of Damascus; son, Michael Lombardo of Maplewood, NJ; three grandchildren, Adrienne Gvozdich Gondouin, Michael Gvozdich and Grant Gvozdich; brother, Joseph Lombardo of Pocasset, MA and a sister Maryann Nespoli of Ocean City, NJ.
Born September 14, 1920 in Philadelphia, PA to the late Michael J. Lombardo and Anna Caruso Lombardo, he served in the US Navy for 4 years during WWII and graduated Lehigh University in 1951 with honors. He served as Chief of Materials and Structure at NASA and later became the Director of Special Applications for Reactor Systems Development and Technology for the Department of Energy. His group was responsible for developing the RTG power source for the Voyager, Galileo and Ulysses Space Missions. Today, Voyager 1 is at the edge of our solar system after a 33 year odyssey and continues to send scientific information back to earth.
A memorial service will be held March 10, 2011 at 11AM at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Damascus, MD. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St Paul’s Building for the Future Campaign, 9240 Damascus Road, Damascus, MD, 20872.
Immediately following the service please join us for lunch at Carol's home. 9401 Damascus Road, Damascus. (301) 253-5899
An important paper by Lombardo may be downloaded by following this link:
Mission of Daring: The General-Purpose Heat Source Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator
GL Bennett, JJ Lombardo, RJ Hemler, G Silverman…
http://www.fas.org/nuke/space/gphs.pdf
New & Updated Conferences
The Thermoelectric Energy Solutions Workshop will provide a forum for technology developers and current and potential end users to find out more about the latest developments.
Speakers
Confirmed speakers include:
- Janguar Land Rover
- European Thermodynamics
- University of Bristol
- University of Cardiff
- Royal Holloway, University of London
Elevator Pitches
Delegates are invited to present a short pitch in around two minutes, with a maximum of 2 slides. If this is of interest, please select this option on the registration form.
Upcoming Conferences
That's all for today. Let me know if I forgot anything!
