Transformation optics for thermoelectric flow

Abstract

Transformation optics (TO) is a powerful technique for manipulating diffusive transport, such as heat and electricity. While most studies have focused on individual heat and electrical flows, in many situations thermoelectric effects captured via the Seebeck coefficient may need to be considered. Here we apply a unified description of TO to thermoelectricity within the framework of thermodynamics and demonstrate that thermoelectric flow can be cloaked, diffused, rotated, or concentrated. Metamaterial composites using bilayer components with specified transport properties are presented as a means of realizing these effects in practice. The proposed thermoelectric cloak, diffuser, rotator, and concentrator are independent of the particular boundary conditions and can also operate in decoupled electric or heat modes.