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The Peltier effect is a thermoelectric phenomenon where an electric current causes a temperature difference between two dissimilar conductors or semiconductors. Specifically, one junction heats up while the other cools down. This effect, discovered by Jean-Charles Peltier, is the reverse of the Seebeck effect, which generates electricity from a temperature difference.12

In electronics, the Peltier effect is utilized in thermoelectric coolers. These devices use semiconductor junctions connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. When current flows, one set of junctions gets cold, acting as a refrigerator, while the other gets hot. These are compact, have no moving parts, and are used for precise temperature control in applications like cooling small electronic components.2

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. thermoelectricity
  2. Peltier effect

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