Zhou Hongyao, Inoue Hirotaka, Ujita Mizuha, Yamada Teppei
Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2023 Jan 9;62(2):e202213449. doi: 10.1002/anie.202213449. Epub 2022 Nov 22.
Thermocells are a thermoelectric conversion technology that utilizes the shift in an electrochemical equilibrium arising from a temperature difference. This technology has a long history; however, its low conversion efficiency impedes its practical usage. Recently, an increasing number of reports have shown drastic improvements in thermoelectric conversion efficiency, and thermocells could arguably represent an alternative to solid thermoelectric devices. In this Minireview, we regard thermocells as molecular systems consisting of successive molecular processes responding to a temperature change to achieve energy generation. Various molecular technologies have been applied to thermocells in recent years, and could stimulate diverse research fields, including supramolecular chemistry, physical chemistry, electrochemistry, and solid-state ionics. These research approaches will also provide novel methods for achieving a sustainable society in the future.
热电池是一种热电转换技术，它利用温度差引起的电化学平衡的变化。这项技术历史悠久；然而，其低转换效率阻碍了它的实际应用。最近，越来越多的报告表明热电转换效率有了显著提高，热电池可以说是固体热电器件的一种替代品。在这篇微型综述中，我们将热电池视为由一系列响应温度变化以实现能量产生的分子过程组成的分子系统。近年来，各种分子技术已应用于热电池，并且可能会激发包括超分子化学、物理化学、电化学和固态离子学在内的不同研究领域。这些研究方法也将为未来实现可持续社会提供新的方法。
