History of The International Thermoelectric Society

Thermelectrics is defined as the science and technology associated with thermoelectric generation andrefrigeration.1 The technology of thermoelectricity began during the “Great Patriotic War” (WorldWar II) when the Soviet Union, under Academician Ioffe’s inspiration, produced 2–4 wattthermoelectric generators to be included in a “partisan mess kit” and capable of powering a smallradio from a small cooking fire.2 Spurred by major advances in semiconductor technology, discoveryof more efficient thermoelectric semiconductor alloys, and advances in thermoelectric theory, the1950s and 1960s witnessed significant efforts to further develop thermoelectric technology. Most ofthis effort was concentrated in the former Soviet Union, the United States and, to a lesser extent,Europe and Japan.This early period was characterized by rapid improvements in all areas of thermoelectrics, along witha high measure of enthusiasm. In 1961, Snyder3 listed 38 US organizations actively engaged inthermoelectric research, including many major corporations such as Whirlpool, Westinghouse, BellTelephone, GE, Carrier and others. By the mid-1960s, practical thermoelectric devices emerged forniche specialty cooling applications (mostly aerospace) and for space power applications. Progress inefficiency improvement slowed and research peaked by about 1963 (Figure AI.1), followed by a steepdecline in activity that was to continue for nearly three decades. Major US corporations shed theirthermoelectric activities, in several cases resulting in start-up companies which are active to the presentday (Melcor from RCA, Marlow Industries from Texas Instruments, and Global Thermoelectrics from3M). The pattern of using thermoelectrics for niche applications requiring reliability more thanefficiency has dominated the field ever since. However, this situation is likely to change with the use ofthis technology in the recovery of waste heat, the advent of high-performance nanostructured materialsand advances in thin-film devices leading to wide-scale domestic and industrial thermoelectricapplications.