A review on the potential of silicon nanowires (SINWS) in thermoelectric energy harvesters

Abstract

There are various types of micro-scale energy harvesters (EH) that have been reported by many researchers around the world such as photovoltaic cells, piezoelectric transducers, electromagnetic transducers, thermoelectric and others. Energy harvester that harvest ambient energy which exists naturally or produced by mankind or machines, are able to be an alternative source for low-power devices such as mobile phone, laptop, health implant and many more. Thermoelectric is an energy harvester that converts heat waste from any sources such as vehicle engines, laptops or human body into electricity. Numerous kind of thermoelectric materials including metals and semiconductors have been investigated by researchers that produce different performances and efficiencies. Recently, researchers are looking forward to nanostructured semiconductors such as nanoribbons, nanotubes, nanowires and quantum dots as a potential to increase the figure of merit (ZT) and efficiency of thermoelectric EH. This paper reviews on silicon as the second most abundant element on earth and commonly used in electronic components is possible to be used as thermoelectric material. Silicon in bulk has high thermal conductivity which is less desirable for thermoelectric application. However, many studies regarding nanostructured silicon such as silicon nanowires have been carried out with promising results in reducing thermal conductivity.