Enhanced thermoelectric properties of p-type polycrystalline SnSe by regulating the anisotropic crystal growth and Sn vacancy

Thermoelectric selenides have attracted more and more attentions recently.Herein,p-type Sn Se polycrystalline bulk materials with good thermoelectric properties are presented.By using the SnSe_2 nanostructures synthesized via a wetchemistry route as the precursor,polycrystalline Sn Se bulk materials were successfully obtained by a combined heattreating process under reducing atmosphere and following spark plasma sintering procedure.As a reference,the Sn Se nanostructures synthesized via a wet-chemistry route were also fabricated into polycrystalline bulk materials through the same process.The thermoelectric properties of the Sn Se polycrystalline transformed from SnSe_2 nanostructures indicate that the increasing of heattreating temperature could effectively decrease the electrical resistivity,whereas the decrease in Seebeck coefficient is nearly invisible.As a result,the maximum power factor is enhanced from 5.06×10~(-4)W/m·K~2to 8.08×10~(-4)W/m·K~2at 612~?C.On the other hand,the reference sample,which was obtained by using Sn Se nanostructures as the precursor,displays very poor power factor of only 1.30×10~(-4)W/m·K~2at 537~?C.The x-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM),x-ray fluorescence(XRF),and Hall effect characterizations suggest that the anisotropic crystal growth and existing Sn vacancy might be responsible for the enhanced electrical transport in the polycrystalline Sn Se prepared by using SnSe_2 precursor.On the other hand,the impact of heat-treating temperature on thermal conductivity is not obvious.Owing to the boosting of power factor,a high z T value of 1.07 at 612~?C is achieved.This study provides a new method to synthesize polycrystalline Sn Se and pave a way to improve the thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline bulk materials with similar layered structure.     

Synthesis and thermoelectric properties of Nd-single filled p-type skutterudites

We report the synthesis of Nd-filled and Fe substituted p-type Ndx Fe_(3.2)Co_(0.8)Fe_(3.2)Co_(0.8)Sb_(12)(x=0.5,0.6,0.7,0.8,and 0.9)skutterudites by the solid-state reaction method.The influences of Nd filler on the electrical and thermal transport prop-erties are investigated in a temperature range from room temperature to 850 K.A lowest lattice thermal conductivity of 0.88 W·m~(-1)·K~(-1)is obtained in Nd0.8Fe_(3.2)Co_(0.8)Fe_(3.2)Co_(0.8)Sb_(12)at 673 K,which results from the localized vibration modes of fillers and the increase of grains boundaries.Meanwhile,the maximum power factor is 2.77 m W·m~(-1)·K~(-2)for the Nd_(0.9)Fe_(3.2)Co_(0.8)Fe_(3.2)Co_(0.8)Sb_(12)sample at 668 K.Overall,the highest dimensionless figure of merit z T=0.87 is achieved at 714 Kfor Nd_(0.9)Fe_(3.2)Co_(0.8)Fe_(3.2)Co_(0.8)Sb_(12).     

Se substitution and micro-nano-scale porosity enhancing thermoelectric Cu_2Te

Binary Cu-based chalcogenide thermoelectric materials have attracted a great deal of attention due to their outstanding physical properties and fascinating phase sequence.However,the relatively low figure of merit z T restricts their practical applications in power generation.A general approach to enhancing z T value is to produce nanostructured grains,while one disadvantage of such a method is the expansion of grain size in heating-up process.Here,we report a prominent improvement of z T in Cu_2Te_(0.2)Se_(0.8),which is several times larger than that of the matrix.This significant enhancement in thermoelectric performance is attributed to the formation of abundant porosity via cold press.These pores with nano-to micrometer size can manipulate phonon transport simultaneously,resulting in an apparent suppression of thermal conductivity.Moreover,the Se substitution triggers a rapid promotion of power factor,which compensates for the reduction of electrical properties due to carriers scattering by pores.Our strategy of porosity engineering by phonon scattering can also be highly applicable in enhancing the performances of other thermoelectric systems.     

Complex alloying effect on thermoelectric transport properties of Cu_2Ge(Se_(1-x)Te_x)_3

To enhance the thermoelectric performance of Cu_2GeSe_3, a series of Te-alloyed samples Cu_2Ge(Se_(1-x)Te_x)_3 are synthesized and investigated in this work. It is found that the lattice thermal conductivity is reduced drastically for x = 0.1 sample, which may be attributed to the point defects introduced by alloying. However, for samples with x ≥ 0.2, the lattice thermal conductivity increases with increasing x, which is related to a less distorted structure. The structure evolution,together with the change in carrier concentration, also leads to a systemically change in electrical properties. Finally, a z T of 0.55@750 K is obtained for the sample with x = 0.3, about 62% higher than that for the pristine sample.     

Band engineering and precipitation enhance thermoelectric performance of SnTe with Zn-doping

We have systematically studied the thermoelectric properties in Zn-doped Sn Te.Strikingly,band convergence and embedded precipitates arising from Zn doping,can trigger a prominent improvement of thermoelectric performance.In particular,the value of dimensionless figure of merit z T has increased by 100% and up to ~ 0.5 at 775 K for the optimal sample with 2% Zn content.Present findings demonstrate that carrier concentration and effective mass play crucial roles on the Seebeck coefficient and power factor.The obvious deviation from the Pisarenko line(Seebeck coefficient versus carrier concentration) due to Zn-doping reveals the convergence of valence bands.When the doping concentration exceeds the solubility,precipitates occur and lead to a reduction of lattice thermal conductivity.In addition,bipolar conduction is suppressed,indicating an enlargement of band gap.The Zn-doped Sn Te is shown to be a promising candidate for thermoelectric applications.