Seebeck effect
At open circuit, temperature-driven carrier transport along a conductor is balanced by an electric field, producing a measurable thermoelectric voltage between the ends (or across a junction of dissimilar conductors). Its polarity depends on the transport coefficients, the dominant carriers and the stated sign convention.
Atlas record: 10 claims reference this phenomenon — 10 established.
Explorerelations · matrix context · routes · sources · cite
Relations
- a spatial temperature difference across a conductor or semiconductor
- a closed circuit of dissimilar materials, or a single material with ends at different temperatures
- carriers diffuse from the hot end and accumulate at the cold end
- Seebeck and Peltier coefficients are linked by Π = S·T
Matrix context
D = disequilibrium row · C = coupling family column. A cell reads the state of the atlas for that pair.
Enumerated routes through this · 10
- Thermoelectric generator3/3 est · demonstrated
- Night-time radiative-cooling thermoelectric generator5/5 est · demonstrated
- Radioisotope thermoelectric generator7/7 est · demonstrated
- Chemical potential difference → Combustion → Temperature gradient → Seebeck effect → Charge carriers → Electrical work5/5 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Electric potential difference → Peltier effect → Temperature gradient → Seebeck effect → Charge carriers → Electrical work5/5 est · same energy form
- Electric potential difference → Ettingshausen effect → Temperature gradient → Seebeck effect → Charge carriers → Electrical work5/5 est · same energy form
- Incident radiation flux → Photothermal absorption → Temperature gradient → Seebeck effect → Charge carriers → Electrical work5/5 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fission → Temperature gradient → Seebeck effect → Charge carriers → Electrical work5/5 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Nuclear fusion → Temperature gradient → Seebeck effect → Charge carriers → Electrical work3/5 est · extends a recorded pathway
- Nuclear binding-energy difference → Radioactive decay → Beta particles → Radioisotope heating → Temperature gradient → Seebeck effect → Charge carriers → Electrical work7/7 est · extends a recorded pathway
Cited sources · 9
- [1]H. J. Goldsmid. Introduction to Thermoelectricity (2nd ed.) (2016)
- [2]C. Herring. Theory of the thermoelectric power of semiconductors (1954)
- [3]A. F. Ioffe. Semiconductor Thermoelements and Thermoelectric Cooling (1957)
- [4]G. J. Snyder, E. S. Toberer. Complex thermoelectric materials (2008)
- [5]D. M. Rowe (ed.). Thermoelectrics Handbook: Macro to Nano (2006)
- [6]N. W. Ashcroft, N. D. Mermin. Solid State Physics (1976)
- [7]L. Onsager. Reciprocal relations in irreversible processes. I. (1931)
- [8]H. B. Callen. The application of Onsager's reciprocal relations to thermoelectric, thermomagnetic, and galvanomagnetic effects (1948)
- [9]T. J. Seebeck. Ueber die magnetische Polarisation der Metalle und Erze durch Temperatur-Differenz (1826)
Cite this entity
Physical Transformation Atlas (2026). entity phenomenon:seebeck-effect: Seebeck effect. Dataset revision rbfbfcbb70e57 (hash of the canonical data). https://physical-transformation-atlas.wldud5192.workers.dev/phenomenon/seebeck-effect
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