Cement‐SnSe Thermoelectric Devices With High Seebeck Coefficients

Journal article

In this work, we present a cost‐effective, scalable approach for fabricating thermoelectric (TE) generators using p‐type tin selenide (SnSe) bonded in a cement matrix via a slurry mold casting technique. Traditional methods for manufacturing SnSe‐based TE materials are energy‐intensive and economically unfeasible. By contrast, our approach employs common Portland cement as a binder, offering a viable alternative that reduces processing time, complexity, and cost. Ball‐milled SnSe is mixed with varying concentrations of cement and cast into molds for samples, resulting in dimensions of 1.5 × 1.5 × 0.75 cm3. The best‐performing formulations are 0.2 wt.% cement, which exhibited a power factor of 77 µW m−1·K−2 at 800 K and the 0.3 wt.% cement sample, which has a peak ZT of 0.3 at 850 K, the highest ZT of any cement containing TE to date. A proof‐of‐concept thermoelectric generator (TEG) comprising six legs of SnSe‐cement composite demonstrated a peak power output of ∼73 µW at 850 K. Furthermore, calculations show that using the cement‐bonded SnSe to harvest industrial waste heat in a steel‐making environment can yield a potential 1521.3 W m−2 of electrical energy.

Authors: Howells, G; Mehraban, S; Dunlop, T; Lavery, N; Carnie, MJ

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Advanced Electronic Materials
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 2
• Article number: e00649
• Publication date: 2026-01-27
• Acceptance date: 2025-12-01
• DOI: 10.1002/aelm.202500649
• EISSN: 2199160X
• ISSN: 2199160X
• Language: English
• Keywords: tin selenide; SnSe; thermoelectrics; cement