Thermoelectric Properties of Graphene Nanostructures and Devices

Graphene’s exceptional combination of high electrical conductivity, tunable carrier concentration and two-dimensional geometry makes it a compelling candidate for thermoelectric applications, yet its intrinsically large phonon-mediated thermal conductivity imposes a challenge for efficient heat-to-electricity conversion. Thermoelectric performance is commonly gauged by the dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, which scales with the square of the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity but inversely with thermal conductivity. In pristine graphene, rapid phonon transport suppresses ZT, necessitating strategies to decouple electronic and thermal pathways. Recent advances have focused on nanostructuring and heterostructure engineering to introduce phonon scattering centres—via nanopores, isotope disorder or interface design—while preserving carrier mobility. Alternative approaches employ van der Waals heterostructures that exploit built-in energy barriers for thermionic emission or leverage magneto-thermoelectric effects at cryogenic temperatures. Device architectures range from graphene nanoribbons with tuned edge channels to large-area films on flexible substrates, and from solid-state thermionic converters to local Peltier coolers. Together, these developments chart a course towards graphene-based generators and refrigerators with potential applications in waste-heat recovery, on-chip cooling and flexible electronics.

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Thermoelectric Properties of Graphene Nanostructures and Devices publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in thermoelectric properties of graphene nanostructures and devices across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Seebeck coefficient: A measure of the voltage generated per unit temperature difference across a material.

Figure of merit (ZT): A dimensionless parameter that quantifies thermoelectric efficiency, combining electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity.

Phonon scattering: Disruption of heat-carrying lattice vibrations to reduce thermal conductivity while minimally affecting charge carriers.

Van der Waals heterostructure: A stack of two-dimensional materials held together by weak interlayer forces, enabling energy-selective transport phenomena.

References

1. Thermoelectric Limitations of Graphene Nanodevices at Ultrahigh Current Densities. ACS Nano (2024).
2. Enhancement of graphene thermoelectric performance through defect engineering. 2D Materials (2017).
3. Giant power factors in p- and n-type large-area graphene films on a flexible plastic substrate. npj 2D Materials and Applications (2019).
4. Thermionic Energy Conversion Based on Graphene van der Waals Heterostructures. Scientific Reports (2017).
5. Demonstration and imaging of cryogenic magneto-thermoelectric cooling in a van der Waals semimetal. Nature Physics (2024).