The project's objective is to take the state of SC’s capacity for research, development, design,and implementation of the next generation advanced thermoelectric (TE) materials to a world class level. The magnitude of the funds involved in this program will be able to build anationally recognized research center of excellence in the focused area of the next generationTE materials for power conversion and/or refrigeration technologies. Worldclass facilitiesand infrastructure to synthesize and characterize new classes of thermoelectric materials willbe put into place.Over the past year we have hired a new faculty member, Fivos Drymiotis,who will begin his faculty appointment in June, 2005.His expertise lies in materials synthesisand the development of new classes of materials.We have purchased several major pieces ofequipment including a dedicated XRay diffraction system, a hot isostatic press system, a hightemperature DSC, greatly expanded system of furnaces and a laser flash diffusivity system.Aclose association and interaction with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has alreadybeen established and that relationship will be greatly expanded with these funds. Several classes of materials will be investigated with potential for thermoelectric (TE)applications.In addition, each of these classes of materials poses several interesting scientificquestions, which we wish to also address in this investigation.Graduate and undergraduatestudents will be extensively involved in this project, thus gaining significant training andeducational opportunities through the interaction with the broad expertise and facilities of anational laboratory such as ORNL. A number of minority and underrepresented (female)students will be involved in the project and there is a component involving subcontract andresearch collaboration with a SC HBCU (SC State University).
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