Dr. Eleonora Isotta

Microstructural defects significantly influence the transport properties of materials and, when carefully engineered, can unlock superior performance and advanced functionalities. However, how different microstructural features impact thermal and electrical transport remains largely elusive.

Thermoelectric devices, of interest for waste-heat energy harvesting, refrigerant-free cooling and thermal management, require materials that combine good electrical conduction with low thermal conduction.

Advanced microstructural engineering holds great potential for achieving superior performance in thermoelectric materials.

My research focuses on understanding how microstructure influences thermal and electrical transport properties, with the goal of enabling the design of next-generation thermoelectric materials. To accomplish this, we establish structure-chemistry-property correlations by integrating local structural and chemical characterizations using electron microscopy with localized thermal and electrical transport measurements. For example, in recent work, we investigated grain boundaries using thermal conductivity imaging and quantified the impact of specific boundary structures on their thermal resistance.

Future research will aim at understandying the relative impact of microstructure on electrical and thermal transport, elucidating the role of oxides and secondary phases in thermoelctric chalcogenides, and  developing high-resolution, in-situ transport property measurements.