Significant advances in thermal-to-electric energy conversion have generated increasing interest in recent years. This symposium explores novel materials, materials processing, and technologies for direct thermal-to-electric energy conversion. The primary focus will be on recent material and technological advances in the fields of thermoelectrics, thermionics, and thermoacoustics. The symposium intends to highlight material and device-design innovations that lead to higher-efficiency thermal-to-electric energy-conversion technologies. The symposium will be designed to emphasize the multidisciplinary nature (materials science, physics, chemistry, and engineering) of the research needed to advance the state-of-the-art technology. Thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties of new material--and the processing of those materials into device structures--will be emphasized. Theoretical studies of transport properties, band structure and crystal chemistry of materials, thermodynamic analysis, and energy transfer in ballistic processes will also be included. Experimental efforts will include new capabilities in solid-state synthesis, new bulk materials, thin films, superlattices, and nanostructure materials. New developments in material property and device performance measurements will also be emphasized in this symposium.

Topics to be addressed include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Theoretical guidance to high-efficiency thermoelectric energy conversion
• New and emerging technologies for thermoelectric power conversion
• High-efficiency bulk thermoelectric materials
• Composite thermoelectrics
• Synthetic strategies for preparing novel materials and compounds
• Processing of bulk and thin-film nanostructured materials
• Materials property measurement and new measurement techniques
• Design, performance testing, fabrication, and processing of energy-conversion devices
• Device performance requirements for future applications
• Novel applications of thermoelectric generators

Invited speakers include (partial list): L. Chen (Shanghai Inst. of Ceramics, P. R. China), M. S. Dresselhaus (Massachusetts Inst. of Technology), J. He (Clemson Univ.), M. Kanatzidis (Northwestern Univ.), H. Kleinke (Univ. of Waterloo, Canada), W. Koshibae (Tohoku Univ., Japan), Q. Li (Brookhaven National Lab), B. Mahanti (Michigan State Univ.), G. Nolas (Univ. of S. Florida), A. Shakouri (Univ. of California-Santa Cruz), D. Singh (Oak Ridge National Lab), and S. Yamanaka (Osaka Univ., Japan). Other invited speakers may be added, some chosen from contributed papers.

Partial graduate student support may be available. For information, contact Dr. Tim Hogan (preferably at e-mail address below).

Symposium Organizers

Timothy P. Hogan
Michigan State University, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2120 Engineering Bldg., E. Lansing, MI 48824-1226
Tel 517-432-3176, Fax 517-353-1980, hogant [at] msu [dot] edu

Jihui Yang
General Motors R&D Center, Materials and Processes Laboratory, Warren, MI 48090
Tel 586-986-9789, Fax 586-986-3091, jihui [dot] yang [at] gm [dot] com

Ryoji Funahashi
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Nanotechnology Research Institute, 1-8-31 Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka 563-8577, Japan
Tel 81-72-751-9485, Fax 81-72-751-9622, funahashi-r [at] aist [dot] go [dot] jp

Terry Tritt
Clemson University, Dept. of Physics, 103 Kinard Laboratory, Clemson, SC 29634-1911
Tel 864-656-5319, Fax 864-656-0805, ttritt [at] clemson [dot] edu