Cubic AgPb
 
 m
 
 SbTe
 2+
 
 m
 
 : Bulk Thermoelectric Materials with High Figure of Merit

Hsu, Keng Fu; Loo, Sim; Guo, Fu; Chen, Wei; Dyck, Jeffrey S.; Uher, Ctirad; Hogan, Tim; Polychroniadis, Efstathios K.; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G.

doi:10.1126/science.1092963

Cited by 2,792 publications

(1,287 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…One successful strategy for improving zT is to enhance the power factor S 2 / ρ through band engineering,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 provided the carrier concentration is optimized 8. The other effective strategy is typified by minimizing the only one independent material property, the lattice thermal conductivity ( κ L ), through nanostructuring,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 liquid phonons,16, 17 and lattice anharmonicity 18, 19…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Sound Velocity Contributing to the High Thermoelectric Performance of Ag₈SnSe₆

et al. 2016

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Conventional strategies for advancing thermoelectrics by minimizing the lattice thermal conductivity focus on phonon scattering for a short mean free path. Here, a design of slow phonon propagation as an effective approach for high‐performance thermoelectrics is shown. Taking Ag8SnSe6 as an example, which shows one of the lowest sound velocities among known thermoelectric semiconductors, the lattice thermal conductivity is found to be as low as 0.2 W m−1 K−1 in the entire temperature range. As a result, a peak thermoelectric figure of merit zT > 1.2 and an average zT as high as ≈0.8 are achieved in Nb‐doped materials, without relying on a high thermoelectric power factor. This work demonstrates not only a guiding principle of low sound velocity for minimal lattice thermal conductivity and therefore high zT, but also argyrodite compounds as promising thermoelectric materials with weak chemical bonds and heavy constituent elements.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Sound Velocity Contributing to the High Thermoelectric Performance of Ag₈SnSe₆

et al. 2016

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“…Harman et al [4] reported values of ZT between 1.3 to 1.6 in PbSeTe/PbTe quantum dot superlattices. More recently Kanatzidis and co-workers found that bulk AgPb 18 SbTe 20 with internal nanostructures has ZT ≈ 2 at T = 800 K [5]. In nanocrystalline BiSbTe bulk alloys ZT reached the value 1.4 at T = 373 K [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermoelectric properties of a weakly coupled quantum dot: enhanced thermoelectric efficiency

Tsaousidou

Triberis

2010

J. Phys.: Condens. Matter

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We study the thermoelectric coefficients of a multi-level quantum dot (QD) weakly coupled to two electron reservoirs in the Coulomb blockade regime. Detailed calculations and analytical expressions of the power factor and the figure of merit are presented. We restrict our interest to the limit where the energy separation between successive energy levels is much larger than the thermal energy (i.e., the quantum limit) and we report a giant enhancement of the figure of merit due to the violation of the Wiedemann-Franz law when phonons are frozen. We point out the similarity of the electronic and the phonon contribution to the thermal conductance for zero dimensional electrons and phonons. Both contributions show an activated behavior. Our findings suggest that the control of the electron and phonon confinement effects can lead to nanostructures with improved thermoelectric properties.

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“…A relaxation-time model for electrical carrier-interface scattering was developed to account for the fi ltering eff ect of low-energy electrons on transport properties. Tl x Pb 1-x Te [17] AgSbTe 2 [14] Ag-Pb-Sb-Te (LAST) [15] (GeTe) 1-x (AgSbTe 2 ) x (TAGS) [16] CsBi 4 Te 6 [12] Yb x Co 4 Sb 12 (skutterudites) [18] SiGe [19] Yb x Ba 8-x Ga 16 Ge 30 (clathrates) [25] Hf 0.6 Zr 0.4 NiSn 0.98 Sb 0.02 (half-Heusler) [24] Yb 14 Mn 1-x Al x Sb 11 (Zintl phase) [23] Temperature ( n-type (Mg 2 Si y Ge 1-y )-(Mg 2 Si 0.6 Ge 0.4 ) nanocomposites. Th e inspired work of Kanatzidis's group revealed that a new kind of intrinsic nano-inclusion, as shown schematically in Figure 3(k), formatted by the segregation of silver and antimony in the lead sublattice of PbTe, could achieve simultaneous phonon blocking and electron transmission.…”

Section: Nanostructural Approaches For Enhancing Thermoelectric Perfomentioning

confidence: 99%

High-performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials

et al. 2010

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T he conversion of thermal energy to electrical energy is known as thermoelectric (TE) conversion. Th e TE eff ect can be used for both power generation and electronic refrigeration. When a temperature gradient (ΔT ) is applied to a TE couple consisting of n-type (electron-transporting) and p-type (hole-transporting) elements, the mobile charge carriers at the hot end tend to diff use to the cold end, producing an electrostatic potential (ΔV ). Th is characteristic, known as the Seebeck eff ect, where α = ΔV/ΔT is defi ned as the Seebeck coeffi cient, is the basis of TE power generation, as shown in Figure 1(a). Conversely, when a voltage is applied to a TE couple, the carriers attempt to return to the electron equilibrium that existed before the current was applied by absorbing energy at one connector and releasing it at the other, an eff ect known as the Peltier eff ect, as shown in Figure 1(b). Th ermoelectric technology and solid-state devices based on the TE eff ect have a number of advantages, including having no moving parts, and being reliable and scalable. Th e technology has therefore arouse worldwide interest in many fi elds, including waste heat recovery and solar heat utilization (power generation mode), and temperature-controlled seats, portable picnic coolers and thermal management in microprocessors (active refrigeration mode) [1].Th e effi ciency of TE devices is strongly associated with the dimensionless fi gure of merit (ZT) of TE materials, defi ned as ZT = (α 2 σ/κ)T, where σ, κ and T are the electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity and absolute temperature [2]. High electrical conductivity (corresponding to low Joule heating), a large Seebeck coeffi cient (corresponding to large potential diff erence) and low thermal conductivity (corresponding to a large temperature diff erence) are therefore necessary in order to realize high-performance TE materials. Th e ZT fi gure is also a very convenient indictor for evaluating the potential effi ciency of TE devices. In general, good TE materials have a ZT value of close to unity. However, ZT values of up to three are considered to be essential for TE energy converters that can compete on effi ciency with mechanical power generation and active refrigeration.High-performance TE materials have been pursued since Bi 2 Te 3 -based alloys were discovered in the 1960s. Until the end of last century, moderate progress had been made in the development of TE materials. Th e benchmark of ZT ≈ 1 was broken in the mid-1990s by two Tsinghua University, China Thermoelectric eff ects enable direct conversion between thermal and electrical energy and provide an alternative route for power generation and refrigeration. Over the past ten years, the exploration of high-performance thermoelectric materials has attracted great attention from both an academic research perspective and with a view to industrial applications. This review summarizes the progress that has been made in recent years in developing thermoelectric materials with a high dimensionless fi gure of...

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Cubic AgPb _m SbTe ₂₊ _m : Bulk Thermoelectric Materials with High Figure of Merit

Cited by 2,792 publications

References 15 publications

Low Sound Velocity Contributing to the High Thermoelectric Performance of Ag₈SnSe₆

Low Sound Velocity Contributing to the High Thermoelectric Performance of Ag₈SnSe₆

Thermoelectric properties of a weakly coupled quantum dot: enhanced thermoelectric efficiency

High-performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials

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Cubic AgPb m SbTe 2+ m : Bulk Thermoelectric Materials with High Figure of Merit

Cited by 2,792 publications

References 15 publications

Low Sound Velocity Contributing to the High Thermoelectric Performance of Ag8SnSe6

Low Sound Velocity Contributing to the High Thermoelectric Performance of Ag8SnSe6

Thermoelectric properties of a weakly coupled quantum dot: enhanced thermoelectric efficiency

High-performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials

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Cubic AgPb _m SbTe ₂₊ _m : Bulk Thermoelectric Materials with High Figure of Merit

Low Sound Velocity Contributing to the High Thermoelectric Performance of Ag₈SnSe₆

Low Sound Velocity Contributing to the High Thermoelectric Performance of Ag₈SnSe₆