Indian Researchers Achieve Record Thermoelectric Coefficient in Scandium Nitride

Researchers led by Prof Bivas Saha at JNCASR reported a Seebeck coefficient exceeding –124.6 millivolts per kelvin in scandium nitride thin films.

This value is nearly 100 times higher than the previously accepted ceiling for crystalline solids, effectively shattering a century-old thermoelectric limit.

The team successfully fabricated a prototype photon sensor using the material, which could enable cheaper, more sensitive thermal imaging and quantum-grade sensing.