How can we turn heat into useful energy using nanotechnology?

Abstract

In 1821, the German physicist Thomas Seebeck made a groundbreaking discovery that revealed the direct conversion of heat energy into electricity. He did so by bringing two different metals together and holding one end heated and the other end cooled. This process is famously known as the Seebeck effect. William Thomson, a British physicist later known as Lord Kelvin, further developed the concept of thermoelectric circuits and introduced the idea of a temperature-dependent voltage in a circuit made of two dissimilar metals. Lord Kelvin’s contribution to the field of thermoelectricity paved the way for various applications in temperature sensors, power generators, refrigeration, and cooling systems.