Supplemental DataTable S1: Sample porosities listed along with theoretical and measured densities of pressed Nd 3-x Te 4 samples. Theoretical densities were predicted using nominal compositions. Measurements were performed using the Archimedes method, showing densities above 96% of theoretical values. The nominal Nd 2.72 Te 4 sample shows a high amount of porosity (5%) mainly from pullout during polishing, a result of the sample being mechanically weak.
Rare-earth (RE) tellurides have been studied extensively for use in high-temperature thermoelectric applications. Specifically, lanthanum and praseodymium-based compounds with the Th3P4 structure type have demonstrated dimensionless thermoelectric figures of merit (zT) up to 1.7 at 1200 K. Scandium, while not part of the lanthanide series, is considered a RE element due to its chemical similarity. However, little is known about the thermoelectric properties of the tellurides of scandium. Here, we synthesized scandium sesquitelluride (Sc2Te3) using a mechanochemical approach and formed sintered compacts through spark plasma sintering (SPS). Temperature-dependent thermoelectric properties were measured from 300–1100 K. Sc2Te3 exhibited a peak zT = 0.3 over the broad range of 500–750 K due to an appreciable power factor and low-lattice thermal conductivity in the mid-temperature range.
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