Abstract
Methods/Materials
The thermocouples were submerged in boiling water and ice water, and the resulting voltage was measured using a voltmeter. (Actually, a Fluke 87 Multimeter and a Fluke 80TK Thermocouple Module was used to read the temperature in degrees C, which we converted to voltage.)
Results
The results demonstrate that Nickel wire coupled with Chromel generated the largest potential, followed by Alumel, silver, copper, and finally tungsten.
Conclusions/Discussion
In thermoelectrics there is something called a Seebeck Coefficent. The Seebeck Coefficent is the thermoelectric sensitivity of each metal. Ionization energies are directly linked with Seebeck Coefficents. The larger the difference between the Seebeck Coefficients of the paired metals, the higher the voltage. Our results are consistent with what is predicted by Seebecks theory.
Finding the best metal to create a voltage when paired with either steel or chromel in a thermocouple.
Science Fair Project done By Joanna Estrada