Seebeck coefficient S
The voltage developed per unit temperature difference. A measure of a material’s thermoelectric response.
µV K⁻¹SEMICONDUCTOR TRANSPORT RESEARCH
Small gradients.
Meaningful potential.
Understanding how semiconducting materials respond to temperature—and what that means for thermoelectric performance.
Explore the transport properties ↗THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALSTEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT PROPERTIES
A MATERIAL PERSPECTIVE 01 / 03
LOW TEMPERATUREHIGH TEMPERATURE
Transport begins with a difference.
THE THREE CONNECTED QUANTITIES
Electrical conductivity σ
How readily a material carries electrical current. Temperature changes the balance of carriers and mobility.
S m⁻¹Power factor S²σ
Bringing the two properties together to compare electrical thermoelectric performance at each temperature.
µW m⁻¹ K⁻²FROM MEASUREMENT TO MEANING
Follow the temperature.
A connected view of transport properties.
Explore how each quantity evolves.
Seebeck coefficient (µV K⁻¹) Illustrative semiconductor
Temperature (K)ILLUSTRATIVE DATA · NOT EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
THE RESEARCH APPROACH
Measure independently.
Understand together.
Temperature connects the measurements. Evaluating S and σ at the same temperature makes the power factor calculation physically meaningful.
- 01
Establish a temperature difference
Measure the thermovoltage across a controlled gradient to determine the Seebeck coefficient, with a consistent sign convention.
- 02
Measure electrical transport
Determine conductivity using resistance and sample geometry, accounting for contacts and measurement uncertainty.
- 03
Connect the properties
Calculate S²σ at matched temperatures. Power factor describes electrical performance; thermal conductivity is also needed to evaluate ZT.
PUT THE RELATIONSHIP TO WORK
Two measurements.
One power factor.
Enter your material’s properties to calculate S²σ.
The Seebeck coefficient is converted to V K⁻¹.
PF = S² σ