块体热电材料的研究进展

文章重点介绍了现役热电材料（Bi2Te3,PbTe,SiGe）、常见结构类型（方钴矿型,笼合物型,Half-Heusler合金型,钠钴氧型和Zn4Sb3型）热电材料及新颖晶体结构类型的热电材料的晶体结构、热电性能、热电性能优化等方面的最新研究进展.     

Recent advances in organic,inorganic, and hybrid thermoelectric aerogels

The thermoelectric(TE)materials and corresponding TE devices can achieve direct heat-to-electricity conversion,thus have wide applications in heat energy harvesting(power generator),wearable electronics and local cooling.In recent years,aerogel-based TE materials have received considerable attention and have made remarkable progress because of their unique structural,electrical and thermal properties.In this review,the recent progress in both organic,inorganic,and composite/hybrid TE aerogels is systematically summarized,including the main constituents,preparation method,TE performance,as well as factors affecting the TE performance and the corresponding mechanism.Moreover,two typical aerogel-based TE devices/generators are compared and analyzed in terms of assembly modes and output performance.Finally,the present challenges and some tentative suggestions for future research prospects are provided in conclusion.     

热电材料的热输运调控及其在微型器件中的应用

热电能量转换技术是一种利用材料实现热能和电能直接相互转换的清洁能源技术。热电材料的性能是决定热电转换效率的关键因素,而热电材料的性能优化涉及电输运和热输运性能的协同优化。文章介绍了近期热电材料中热输运的调控机制和方法,其中重点论述了基于原子分子层次调控热传导的宽频声子散射效应和横波阻尼效应,以及低维结构和复合材料中的基于纳米微米尺度的微结构调控。最后介绍了室温附近热传导的调控机制及其在高效微型热电器件研发中的应用和进展。     

热电材料与发电器件的进展和挑战

热电/温差电效应是一种能够实现热能和电能直接相互转换的环境友好型能源技术,基于该技术的热电发电器件的应用,有望成为缓解能源问题的可行方案。文章主要介绍了中高温区p型和n型热电材料的最新研究进展,重点论述了可能应用于热电发电器件的几种典型热电材料体系的相关优缺点。此外,还回顾了目前中高温区热电发电器件的研究现状,尝试给出了目前亟待突破的壁垒,最后讨论并展望了热电发电器件的发展前景与未来研究方向。     

Energy band and charge-carrier engineering in skutterudite thermoelectric materials

The binary CoSb₃ skutterudite thermoelectric material has high thermal conductivity due to the covalent bond between Co and Sb, and the thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, is very low. The thermal conductivity of CoSb₃ materials can be significantly reduced through phonon engineering, such as low-dimensional structure, the introduction of nano second phases, nanointerfaces or nanopores, which greatly improves their ZT values. The phonon engineering can optimize significantly the thermal transport properties of CoSb₃-based materials. However, the improvement of the electronic transport properties is not obvious, or even worse. Energy band and charge-carrier engineering can significantly improve the electronic transport properties of CoSb₃-based materials while optimizing the thermal transport properties. Therefore, the decoupling of thermal and electronic transport properties of CoSb₃-based materials can be realized by energy band and charge-carrier engineering. This review summarizes some methods of optimizing synergistically the electronic and thermal transport properties of CoSb₃ materials through the energy band and charge-carrier engineering strategies. Energy band engineering strategies include band convergence or resonant energy levels caused by doping/filling. The charge-carrier engineering strategy includes the optimization of carrier concentration and mobility caused by doping/filling, forming modulation doped structures or introducing nano second phase. These strategies are effective means to improve performance of thermoelectric materials and provide new research ideas of development of high-efficiency thermoelectric materials.     

Material parameters for thermoelectric performance

The thermoelectric performance of a thermoelement is ideally defined in terms of the so-called figure-of-meritZ = α²σ/λ, where α,σ and λ refer respectively to the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of the thermoelement material. However, there are other parameters which are fairly good indicators of a material’s thermoelectric ‘worth’. A simple yet useful performance indicator is possible with only two parameters — energy gap and lattice thermal conductivity. This indicator can outline all potentially useful thermoelectric materials. Thermal conductivity in place of lattice thermal conductivity can provide some additional information about the temperature range of operation. Yet another performance indicator may be based on the slope of α vs. ln σ plots. α plotted against ln σ shows a linear relationship in a simplified model, but shows a variation with temperature and carrier concentration. Assuming that such a relationship is true for a narrow range of temperature and carrier concentration, one can calculate the slope m of α vs. ln σ plots against temperature and carrier concentrations. A comparison between the variation ofZT and slopem suggests that such plots may be useful to identify potential thermoelectric materials.     

Strategies for discovery and optimization of thermoelectric materials: Role of real objects and local fields

Thermoelectric materials provide a renewable and eco-friendly solution to mitigate energy shortages and to reduce environmental pollution via direct heat-to-electricity conversion. Discovery of the novel thermoelectric materials and optimization of the state-of-the-art material systems lie at the core of the thermoelectric society, the basic concept behind these being comprehension and manipulation of the physical principles and transport properties regarding thermoelectric materials. In this mini-review, certain examples for designing high-performance bulk thermoelectric materials are presented from the perspectives of both real objects and local fields. The highlights of this topic involve the Rashba effect, Peierls distortion, local magnetic field, and local stress field, which cover several aspects in the field of thermoelectric research. We conclude with an overview of future developments in thermoelectricity.     

PbSe-MnSe纳米复合热电材料的微结构和电热输运性能

相比于常见的热电材料PbTe, 另一种硫族铅化合物PbSe具有熔点高、Se储量更丰富等优势, 从而越来越受到科学界的关注. 本文采用熔融淬火结合快速热压烧结工艺制备了Pb_0.98-xMn_xNa_0.02Se(0 ≤x ≤ 0.12)纳米复合热电材料, 系统地研究了不同Mn含量对材料微纳结构、机械性能和热电性能的影响规律. 发现纳米复合样品中有面心立方结构的MnSe球状和薄层状析出物, 显微硬度得到显著增强. 少量固溶的Mn增加了能带简并度, 使功率因子提高, 球状析出物使声子散射增强、热导率降低, 体系的热电优值ZT得到优化; 但是当Mn含量更高时, 赛贝克系数趋于饱和, 连续析出物使晶格热导率反常增大, ZT 没有得到进一步改善. 通过进一步调节Na含量优化了载流子浓度, 获得了ZT=0.65的PbSe-MnSe纳米复合热电材料.     

Quick preparation and thermal transport properties of nanostructured β-FeSi2 bulk material

This paper reports that the nanostructured β-FeSi2 bulk materials are prepared by a new synthesis process by combining melt spinning(MS) and subsequent spark plasma sintering(SPS).It investigates the influence of linear speed of the rolling copper wheel,injection pressure and SPS regime on microstructure and phase composition of the rapidly solidified ribbons after MS and bulk production respectively,and discusses the effects of the microstructure on thermal transport properties.There are two crystalline phases(α-Fe2Si5 and ε-FeSi) in the rapidly solidified ribbons;the crystal grains become smaller when the cooling rate increases(the 20 nm minimum crystal of ε-FeSi is obtained).Having been sintered for 1 min above 1123 K and annealed for 5 min at 923 K,the single-phase nanostructured βFeSi2 bulk materials with 200-500 nm grain size and 98% relative density are obtained.The microstructure of β-FeSi2 has great effect on thermal transport properties.With decreasing sintering temperature,the grain size decreases,the thermal conductivity of β-FeSi2 is reduced remarkably.The thermal conductivity of β-FeSi2 decreases notably(reduced 72% at room temperature) in comparison with the β-FeSi2 prepared by traditional casting method.     

Recent advances in two-dimensional layered and non-layered materials hybrid heterostructures

With the development of Moore's law, the future trend of devices will inevitably be shrinking and integration to further achieve size reduction. The emergence of new two-dimensional non-layered materials (2DNLMs) not only enriches the 2D material family to meet future development, but also stimulates the global enthusiasm for basic research and application technologies in the 2D field. Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, in which two-dimensional layered materials (2DLMs) are physically stacked layer by layer, can also occur between 2DLMs and 2DNLMs hybrid heterostructures, providing an alternative platform for nanoelectronics and optoelectronic applications. Here, we outline the recent developments of 2DLMs/2DNLMs hybrid heterostructures, with particular emphasis on major advances in synthetic methods and applications. And the categories and crystal structures of 2DLMs and 2DNLMs are also shown. We highlight some promising applications of the heterostructures in electronics, optoelectronics, and catalysis. Finally, we provide conclusions and future prospects in the 2D materials field.     

Temperature-dependent elastic moduli of lead telluride-based thermoelectric materials

In the open literature, reports of mechanical properties are limited for semiconducting thermoelectric materials, including the temperature dependence of elastic moduli. In this study, for both cast ingots and hot-pressed billets of Ag-, Sb-, Sn- and S-doped PbTe thermoelectric materials, resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) was utilized to determine the temperature dependence of elastic moduli, including Young's modulus, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio. This study is the first to determine the temperature-dependent elastic moduli for these PbTe-based thermoelectrics, and among the few determinations of elasticity of any thermoelectric material for temperatures above 300 K. The Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio, measured from room temperature to 773 K during heating and cooling, agreed well. Also, the observed Young's modulus, E, versus temperature, T, relationship, E(T) = E ₀(1–bT), is consistent with predictions for materials in the range well above the Debye temperature. A nanoindentation study of Young's modulus on the specimen faces showed that both the cast and hot-pressed specimens were approximately elastically isotropic.     

Synthesis and high temperature thermoelectric transport properties of Si-based type-I clathrates

N-type Si-based type-I clathrates with different Ga content were synthesized by combining the solid-state reaction method, melting method and spark plasma sintering (SPS) method. The effects of Ga composition on high temperature thermoelectric transport properties were investigated. The results show that at room temperature, the carrier concentration decreases, while the carrier mobility increases slightly with increasing Ga content. The Seebeck coefficient increases with increasing Ga content. Among all the samples, Ba_7.93Ga_17.13Si_28.72 exhibits higher Seebeck coefficient than the others and reaches -135~μ V.K^-1 at 1000 K. The sample prepared by this method exhibits very high electrical conductivity, and reaches 1.95× 10⁵S.m^-1 for Ba_8.01Ga_16.61Si_28.93 at room temperature. The thermal conductivity of all samples is almost temperature independent in the temperature range of 300--1000~K, indicating the behaviour of a typical metal. The maximum {ZT} value of 0.75 is obtained at 1000~K for the compound Ba_7.93Ga_17.13Si_28.72.     

电化学超级电容器电极材料的研究进展

超级电容器是一种利用电化学双电层储能或在电极材料表面及近表面发生快速可逆氧化还原反应而储能的装置,具有高的比功率、比能量和长的循环寿命.文章综述了超级电容器电极材料的储能机理、特点及应用,并重点介绍了石墨烯、二氧化锰及其复合电极材料在超级电容器中应用的最新研究进展.     

The abnormal lattice contraction of plutonium hydrides studied by first-principles calculations

Pu can be loaded with H forming complicated continuous solid solutions and compounds,and causing remarkable electronic and structural changes.Full potential linearized augmented plane wave methods combined with Hubbard parameter U and the spin-orbit effects are employed to investigate the electronic and structural properties of stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric face-centered cubic Pu hydrides(PuHx,x=2,2.25,2.5,2.75,3).The decreasing trend with increasing x of the calculated lattice parameters is in reasonable agreement with the experimental findings.A comparative analysis of the electronic-structure results for a series of PuH x compositions reveals that the lattice contraction results from the associated effects of the enhanced chemical bonding and the size effects involving the interstitial atoms.We find that the size effects are the driving force for the abnormal lattice contraction.     

Influence of light waves on the thermoelectric power under large magnetic field in III‐V,ternary and quaternary materials

We study theoretically the influence of light waves on the thermoelectric power under large magnetic field (TPM) for III‐V, ternary and quaternary materials, whose unperturbed energy‐band structures, are defined by the three‐band model of Kane. The solution of the Boltzmann transport equation on the basis of this newly formulated electron dispersion law will introduce new physical ideas and experimental findings in the presence of external photoexcitation. It has been found by taking n‐InAs, n‐InSb, n‐Hg_1‐xCd_xTe and n‐In_1‐xGa_xAs_yP_1‐y lattice matched to InP as examples that the TPM decreases with increase in electron concentration, and increases with increase in intensity and wavelength, respectively in various manners. The strong dependence of the TPM on both light intensity and wavelength reflects the direct signature of light waves that is in direct contrast as compared with the corresponding bulk specimens of the said materials in the absence of external photoexcitation. The rate of change is totally band‐structure dependent and is significantly influenced by the presence of the different energy‐band constants. The well‐known result for the TPM for nondegenerate wide‐gap materials in the absence of light waves has been obtained as a special case of the present analysis under certain limiting conditions and this compatibility is the indirect test of our generalized formalism. Besides, we have also suggested the experimental methods of determining the Einstein relation for the diffusivity:mobility ratio, the Debye screening length and the electronic contribution to the elastic constants for materials having arbitrary dispersion laws.     

Abnormal lattice contraction of plutonium hydrides studied by first-principles calculations

Pu can be loaded with H forming complicated continuous solid solutions and compounds, and causing remarkable electronic and structural changes. Full potential linearized augmented plane wave methods combining with Hubbard parameter U and the spin-orbit effects are employed to investigate the electronic and structural properties of stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric face-centered cubic Pu hydrides (PuH_x, x=2, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, 3). The decreasing trend with increasing x of the calculated lattice parameters is in reasonable agreement with the experimental findings. A comparative analysis of the electronic-structure results for a series of PuH_x compositions reveals that the lattice contraction is resulted from the associated effects of the enhanced chemical bonding and the size effects involving the interstitial atoms. We find that the size effects are the driving force for the abnormal lattice contraction.     

High pressures: Recent trends in materials science

Abstract

Pressure was developed during the 20th century. The most important illustration of the use of high pressure in Materials Science was the synthesis of diamond at the beginning of the fifties.

This contribution will describe the main scientific research axis developed these last years and based on high pressure (synthesis of new materials, stabilization of specific structures, crystal-growth, preparation of finely divided materials…).

In parallel some industrial developments will be analyzed.

In conclusion, the potential of high pressure will be sketched for the near future.     

拓扑近藤绝缘体

拓扑近藤绝缘体自10年前被提出后,很快成为第一个被实验证实的强关联拓扑材料。文章回顾了拓扑近藤绝缘体六硼化钐中的重要实验结果,并进一步分析了该材料中的关键科学问题和对未来研究的展望。     

热压工艺参数对n型和p型Bi2Te3基赝三元热电材料电学性能的影响

通过熔炼/研磨/热压方法制备了n型和p型赝三元Bi₂Te₃基的热压合 金样品，测量了由不同工艺参数(热压温度、热压压力)制备的样品Seebeck系数和电导率.分析了热压参数对热电性能产生的影响.特别是发现了增加热压压力和热压温度会使n型和p型热压样品的Seebeck系数和电导率都有所提高，这与单晶和取向晶体材料的Seebeck系数和电导率变化趋势相反的规律显然不同，其结果对热压样品的电学性能提高有积极的影响. 关键词： 热电材料 热压 Seebeck系数 工艺参数     

利用晶体结构工程提升GeSe化合物热电性能的研究

在热电研究领域, Ge Se是一种二维层状结构具有较大带隙的半导体,本征载流子浓度低,热电性能差.在本工作中,采用熔融淬火结合放电等离子活化烧结工艺制备了一系列的Ge Se_1–x Te_x (x=0, 0.05, 0.15, 0.25,0.35, 0.45)多晶样品,研究了Te含量对Ge Se化合物物相结构和热电输运性能的影响规律.结果表明:随着Te含量的增加, Ge Se的晶体结构逐渐由正交相向菱方相转变,使得材料的带隙降低,载流子浓度和迁移率同步增加;同时,晶体对称性的提高增加了化合物的能带简并度,有效提高了载流子有效质量.在这些因素的共同作用下,菱方相Ge Se的功率因子比正交相Ge Se提高约2—3个数量级.此外,菱方相Ge Se具有丰富的阳离子空位缺陷以及铁电特性所导致的声子软化现象,这导致其晶格热导率比正交相Ge Se降低近60%.当Te含量为0.45时,样品在573 K取得最大热电优值ZT为0.75,是本征Ge Se样品的19倍.晶体结构工程是提升Ge Se化合物热电性能的有效途径.