• Thermoelectric material converts differences in temperature directly to electrical voltage
  • It is not the first, but previous ones have been derived from rare and sometimes toxic elements via costly synthesis procedures
  • Researchers say their discovery could pave the way for low-cost, environmentally friendly electricity generation
An incredible new material made from common dirt can take heat and directly convert it into an electrical current, a study claims.

Researchers say they produced the groundbreaking substance using commonly found materials and that it can be cheaply manufactured. 

They believe the it could spark a revolution in eco-friendly power generation by taking waste heat from a range of common sources and converting it directly to electricity.
Raw material: The breakthrough new thermoelectric material is made from natural minerals called tetrahedrites which are found in dirt pretty much everywhere on the planet
Raw material: The breakthrough new thermoelectric material is made from natural minerals called tetrahedrites which are found in dirt pretty much everywhere on the planet

So-called thermoelectric materials are able to directly convert differences in temperature to electrical voltage, and vice versa. This are potentially important, scientists say, because the vast majority of heat that is generated from, for example, a car engine, is lost through the tail pipe. It's the thermoelectric material's job to take that heat and turn it into something useful, like electricity.