Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, The Ohio State University, and the University of Hong Kong have, for the first time, characterized the thermoelectric properties of high-quality cadmium arsenide thin films. The researchers created three high-quality films of varying thicknesses – 950 nanometers (nm), 95 nm, and 25 nm – and found that the thinner the material, the higher the thermoelectric sensitivity, resulting in more voltage in response to a temperature gradient, a response enhanced by seven times compared to the state-of-the-art material. These effects were found at near-zero temperatures, so although these thin films can't be deployed for room-temperature applications, they could be useful in cryogenic environments.
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