A method is disclosed of constructing a composite material structure, comprised of an aerogel substrate, which is then overlaid throughout its interior with an even and continuous thin layer film of doped thermoelectric semiconductor such that electrical current is transmitted as a quantum surface phenomena, while the cross-section for thermal conductivity is kept low, with the aerogel itself dissipating that thermal conductivity. In one preferred embodiment this is achieved using a modified metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD) process in the gas phase, with the assist of microwave heating after the reactant gases have evenly diffused throughout the interior of the aerogel substrate.