Efficient conversion

Nearly two-thirds of energy produced through fossil fuel combustion or in coal plants gets wasted as heat. This waste could be reduced. A new material, tin selenide, has been created to help convert heat energy into electrical. Being the most poor conductor of heat known so far, tin selenide is the most efficient material for this purpose. It also has good electrical conductivity. These properties make it very useful for thermoelectric devices, automobile industry and refineries. Nature,April16(online)