Anomalous Nernst Effect in L1₀-FePt/MnGa Thermopiles for New Thermoelectric Applications

Abstract

We propose a new-type of thermopile consisting of two ferromagnetic materials with anomalous Nernst effects (ANEs) of opposite signs. L10-FePt and L10-MnGa have been chosen as the materials because they show large ANEs with opposite signs. The combination of perpendicularly magnetized FePt and MnGa wires enhances the ANE voltage effectively. The ANE in in-plane magnetized FePt films induced by applying a perpendicular temperature difference shows no variation against the film thickness, which is a promising characteristic for thermoelectric applications because the internal resistance of the thermopile, which determines the extractable electric power, can be reduced by increasing the thickness of ferromagnetic wires.