Seebeck effect

The generation of an electric voltage when a temperature difference exists across joined materials. Its magnitude and direction depend on the materials and their temperature-dependent electronic properties.

Thermoelectric effect: A family of phenomena coupling heat flow and electrical behavior in materials. The Seebeck effect is the voltage-producing member of this broader family.
Thermoelectric generator: A device that converts a temperature difference directly into electrical power using thermoelectric materials. It uses the Seebeck effect to generate electricity from a maintained hot-to-cold gradient.
Thermoelectric couple: A pair of dissimilar thermoelectric legs connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. It is the basic circuit unit that combines material Seebeck voltages.
Thomas Johann Seebeck: A German physicist who discovered the thermoelectric effect in 1821. His experiments on heated metal circuits revealed the voltage-generating phenomenon named after him.
Thermoelectric power: The voltage generated per unit temperature difference in a thermoelectric material. It quantifies the Seebeck voltage produced by a temperature gradient.
Thermocouple: A temperature sensor made from two dissimilar conductors joined at a measuring junction. Its measurable voltage arises from the Seebeck response of the conductor pair.
Seebeck coefficient: A material property measuring the voltage produced per unit temperature difference. It sets each material's contribution to the voltage of a thermocouple or thermoelectric device.
Hans Christian Ørsted: A Danish physicist and chemist who demonstrated the connection between electric current and magnetism. He identified the magnetic deflection in Seebeck's heated circuits as an electrical-current effect.
Thomson effect: Reversible heating or cooling along a current-carrying conductor with a temperature gradient. It is the third classical thermoelectric effect, occurring within a material rather than at a junction.
Radioisotope thermoelectric generator: A power source that converts heat from radioactive decay into electricity using thermoelectric materials. It maintains the temperature gradient with radioactive heat, enabling long-lived Seebeck power generation.

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