AUTHOR=Sun Yan , Liu Yue , Li Ruichuan , Li Yanshuai , Bai Shizheng TITLE=Strategies to Improve the Thermoelectric Figure of Merit in Thermoelectric Functional Materials JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2022.865281 DOI=10.3389/fchem.2022.865281 ISSN=2296-2646 ABSTRACT=In temperature difference power generation, electric refrigeration and integrated circuit and so on, the thermoelectric functional materials in recent years have been widely concerned. In this paper, the design and research progress of thermoelectric materials around lifting ZT value in recent years are reviewed. By optimizing the carrier concentration to improve the Seebeck coefficient, the steady improvement of carrier mobility and the influence of energy band engineering on thermoelectric performance are discussed. In addition, the influence of lattice thermal conductivity on ZT value is also very important. We discuss the general law that the synergistic effect of different dimensions, scales and crystal structures can reduce lattice thermal conductivity, and introduce the new application of electroacoustic decoupling in thermoelectric materials. Finally, the research of thermoelectric materials is summarized and prospected in the hope of providing effective ideas for expanding the application and scale industrialization of thermoelectric devices.