Enhanced average thermoelectric figure of merit of n-type PbTe_1−xI_x–MgTe

Abstract

The average thermoelectric figure of meritZTof n-type PbTe1−xIx–MgTe is successfully enhanced through nano and meso structuring.

Enhancement in thermoelectric performance of n-type Pb-deficit Pb-Sb-Te alloys

“…Among several kinds of TE materials, PbTe has demonstrated a relatively high zT value (zT  1) at mid-temperature ranges and is one of the most studied material [11] with an array of alloying materials and strategies to optimize its carrier concentration [12,13], manipulate its band structure [14][15][16][17][18][19] and to achieve nanostructuring [6,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Our investigation of the thermoelectric properties of Pb0.98-xSbxTe system was motivated by a past study on the n-type self-deficit Pb0.96Sb0.02Te1-xSex bulk materials, where a strong reduction of latt and an enhanced zT was reported [27].…”

An Integrated Approach to Thermoelectrics: Combining Phonon Dynamics, Nanoengineering, Novel Materials Development, Module Fabrication, and Metrology

“…[72] Samples with x ≤ 0.14% and y = 0% have a homogeneous microstructure (Figure 12a), but with the addition of 1% MgTe or/and x > 0.14%, we observed a mixed microstructure (i.e., the coexistence of two different length scales, average size of 30 and 0.5-2 µm, of grains; Figure 12b) due to the increased brittleness of the sample. This was our motivation for studying the effects of MgTe addition on the thermoelectric properties of PbI 2 -doped n-type PbTe.…”

“…Energy Mater. Reassessment of the optimum carrier concentration [61,62,71] and some recent reports on nanostructuring [72][73][74] have enhanced the value of ZT by 40-50% than the previously established value below unity. The ZT of n-type PbTe remains lower than that of p-type PbTe primarily because of the single-band transport.…”

“…TEM performed on these compacts confirms the structural and size integrity of the nanostructures, which are critical in maintaining high ZT in sintered compacts (Figure 11). [72,78] Many authors have observed these intrinsic disk-like nanostructures in their PbTe samples and provided different interpretations. The spherical precipitates appear to be of a similar nature (i.e., in coherency with the matrix) as those found in ingot samples ( Figure 9).…”

High performance thermoelectrics for power generation using earth-abundant and low toxicity elements

“…[10]- [13] This progress in nanostructured thermoelectric materials aroused our interest in future work in materials science. However, in this work, we advanced the development of thermoelectric modules using newly developed nanostructured materials, aiming to inspire innovation in thermoelectric applications.…”