Thermoelectrocatalysis: Leveraging thermoelectric effects for enhanced catalytic performance

Ya Tang; Xiangbei Liu; Halil Tekinalp; Soydan Ozcan; Xianhui Zhao; Yan Li

doi:10.1016/j.mtener.2025.102060

Thermoelectrocatalysis: Leveraging thermoelectric effects for enhanced catalytic performance

Ya Tang
, Xiangbei Liu
, Halil Tekinalp
, Soydan Ozcan
, Xianhui Zhao
, Yan Li

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Thermoelectric materials, which convert thermal gradients into electricity, offer an energy conversion technology with zero emissions, rapid response, and high reliability. Catalysts, on the other hand, can accelerate chemical reactions by reducing activation energy without consuming themselves. These two technologies exhibit strong synergy, particularly in systems where waste heat can be harvested to enhance catalytic processes. This work presents a detailed discussion of the concept of thermoelectrocatalysis (TECatal), including the current state of the art, existing challenges and potential future solutions. Its potential applications in hydrogen generation, CO₂ conversion, environmental disinfection, and cancer therapy are discussed in detail. This work also offers a comprehensive perspective on interdisciplinary research on TECatal in materials design, system-level integration, and performance optimization.

Original language	English
Article number	102060
Journal	Materials Today Energy
Volume	54
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtener.2025.102060
State	Published - Dec 2025

Funding

The authors acknowledge the support from the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society , Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College , and the US Department of Energy (DOE), Bioenergy Technologies Office . This manuscript was authored in part by UT-Battelle LLC under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with DOE. The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ).

Keywords

CO conversion
Cancer therapy
Catalyst promoters
Environmental disinfection
Hydrogen generation
Thermoelectrocatalysis (TECatal)

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10.1016/j.mtener.2025.102060

Cite this

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title = "Thermoelectrocatalysis: Leveraging thermoelectric effects for enhanced catalytic performance",

abstract = "Thermoelectric materials, which convert thermal gradients into electricity, offer an energy conversion technology with zero emissions, rapid response, and high reliability. Catalysts, on the other hand, can accelerate chemical reactions by reducing activation energy without consuming themselves. These two technologies exhibit strong synergy, particularly in systems where waste heat can be harvested to enhance catalytic processes. This work presents a detailed discussion of the concept of thermoelectrocatalysis (TECatal), including the current state of the art, existing challenges and potential future solutions. Its potential applications in hydrogen generation, CO2 conversion, environmental disinfection, and cancer therapy are discussed in detail. This work also offers a comprehensive perspective on interdisciplinary research on TECatal in materials design, system-level integration, and performance optimization.",

keywords = "CO conversion, Cancer therapy, Catalyst promoters, Environmental disinfection, Hydrogen generation, Thermoelectrocatalysis (TECatal)",

author = "Ya Tang and Xiangbei Liu and Halil Tekinalp and Soydan Ozcan and Xianhui Zhao and Yan Li",

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year = "2025",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.mtener.2025.102060",

language = "English",

volume = "54",

journal = "Materials Today Energy",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Thermoelectrocatalysis

T2 - Leveraging thermoelectric effects for enhanced catalytic performance

AU - Tang, Ya

AU - Liu, Xiangbei

AU - Tekinalp, Halil

AU - Ozcan, Soydan

AU - Zhao, Xianhui

AU - Li, Yan

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - Thermoelectric materials, which convert thermal gradients into electricity, offer an energy conversion technology with zero emissions, rapid response, and high reliability. Catalysts, on the other hand, can accelerate chemical reactions by reducing activation energy without consuming themselves. These two technologies exhibit strong synergy, particularly in systems where waste heat can be harvested to enhance catalytic processes. This work presents a detailed discussion of the concept of thermoelectrocatalysis (TECatal), including the current state of the art, existing challenges and potential future solutions. Its potential applications in hydrogen generation, CO2 conversion, environmental disinfection, and cancer therapy are discussed in detail. This work also offers a comprehensive perspective on interdisciplinary research on TECatal in materials design, system-level integration, and performance optimization.

AB - Thermoelectric materials, which convert thermal gradients into electricity, offer an energy conversion technology with zero emissions, rapid response, and high reliability. Catalysts, on the other hand, can accelerate chemical reactions by reducing activation energy without consuming themselves. These two technologies exhibit strong synergy, particularly in systems where waste heat can be harvested to enhance catalytic processes. This work presents a detailed discussion of the concept of thermoelectrocatalysis (TECatal), including the current state of the art, existing challenges and potential future solutions. Its potential applications in hydrogen generation, CO2 conversion, environmental disinfection, and cancer therapy are discussed in detail. This work also offers a comprehensive perspective on interdisciplinary research on TECatal in materials design, system-level integration, and performance optimization.

KW - CO conversion

KW - Cancer therapy

KW - Catalyst promoters

KW - Environmental disinfection

KW - Hydrogen generation

KW - Thermoelectrocatalysis (TECatal)

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105015860433

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DO - 10.1016/j.mtener.2025.102060

M3 - Article

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VL - 54

JO - Materials Today Energy

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ER -

Thermoelectrocatalysis: Leveraging thermoelectric effects for enhanced catalytic performance

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Keywords

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