DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF ADVANCED THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY CONVERSION IN CHHATTISGARH

Abstract

Thermoelectric materials convert a temperature difference directly into electrical power and are therefore attractive for distributed waste-heat recovery where reliability, compactness and the absence of moving parts are important. This analytical paper assesses three advanced material families—Bi₂Te₃-based alloys, SnSe-based materials and doped oxide thermoelectrics—for sustainable energy-conversion opportunities relevant to Chhattisgarh. The study uses a descriptive-analytical design based on peer-reviewed experimental literature and official regional information; it does not claim new laboratory measurements. Performance is interpreted through the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, power factor and dimensionless figure of merit ZT, together with a constant-property upper-bound efficiency model. Published results show the complementary nature of the three families: Bi₂Te₃ remains strong near ambient and low-grade heat, SnSe provides exceptionally high peak and average ZT across low-to-medium temperature ranges when carrier and crystal structures are engineered, while oxide systems such as Ca₃Co₄O₉ offer chemical and thermal robustness at higher temperatures despite lower ZT. Representative Chhattisgarh screening cases yield idealized efficiencies of approximately 5.5% for Bi₂Te₃ at 423/313 K, 13.3% for SnSe at 673/313 K and 5.0% for a doped oxide case at 873/323 K. These values are upper-bound comparisons rather than device predictions. The analysis concludes that material selection should be temperature-window-specific: Bi₂Te₃ for low-grade surfaces and flexible devices, SnSe for higher-performance medium-grade recovery, and oxides for harsher high-temperature environments. A staged research pathway is proposed for local validation, including thermal mapping, material processing, contact engineering, module testing and long-duration stability assessment.