Indian Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in Heat-to-Electricity Conversion

Researchers from JNCASR, the University of Sydney, and IISc have developed a scandium nitride semiconductor that generates electrical voltage far exceeding the century-old Boltzmann limit for crystalline solids.

The team measured a Seebeck coefficient exceeding -124.6 millivolts per kelvin at room temperature, a performance nearly 100 times higher than the previously accepted ceiling for such materials.

The innovation has already enabled a preliminary photon sensor, with an Indian patent application filed to explore future applications in thermal imaging, quantum technologies, and sensitive heat-flow detection.