Density Functional Theory of the Seebeck coefficient in the Coulomb blockade regime
Physical Review B 94, 081410(R) (2016)
Density Functional Theory of the Seebeck coefficient in the Coulomb blockade regime
The Seebeck coefficient plays a fundamental role in identifying the efficiency of a thermoelectric device. Its theoretical evaluation for atomistic models is routinely based on Density Functional Theory calculations combined with the Landauer-B\"uttiker approach to quantum transport. This combination, however, suffers from serious drawbacks for devices in the Coulomb blockade regime. We show how to cure the theory through a simple correction in terms of the {\em temperature derivative} of the exchange correlation potential. Our results compare well with both rate equations and experimental findings on carbon nanotubes.
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- http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.94.081410
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- http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1512.07540