Multi-terminal far-from-equilibrium thermoelectric nano-devices in the Kondo regime

The quest for good thermoelectric materials and/or high-efficiency thermoelectric devices is of primary importance from theoretical and practical points of view. Low-dimensional structures with quantum dots or molecules are promising candidates to achieve the goal. Interactions between electrons, far-from-equilibrium conditions and strongly non-linear transport are important factors affecting the usefulness of the devices. This paper analyzes the thermoelectric power of a two-terminal quantum dot under large thermal and voltage biases as well as the performance of the three-terminal system as a heat engine. To this end we introduce two slightly different Seebeck coefficients, generalizing the linear response expression. The direct calculations of thermally induced electric and heat currents show that, in agreement with expectations and other work, the efficiency of the thermoelectric heat engine as measured by the delivered power is maximal far from equilibrium. However, strong Coulomb interactions between electrons on the quantum dot are found to diminish the efficiency at maximum power and the maximal value of the delivered power.