Recent development of thermoelectric response theory and its applications

Based on the general framework of the Kubo and Luttinger's linear response theory, we clarified the range of validity of Boltzmann transport theory for thermoelectric response using a quite general model including both periodic and random potentials, electron-phonon interaction, and electron-electron interaction. As two typical examples beyond the Boltzmann transport regime, we introduce (1) the band-edge engineering of thermoelectric power factor of semi-conducting carbon nanotubes and (2) the huge Seebeck coefficient of FeSb₂ due to the phonon drag associated with impurity band in the narrow band gap. (author)