Structural Phase Transition and Related Thermoelectric Properties in Sn Doped AgBiSe2

Abstract

AgBiSe2, which exhibits complex structural phase transition behavior, has recently been considered as a potential thermoelectric material due to its intrinsically low thermal conductivity. In this work, we investigate the crystal structure of Sn-doped AgBiSe2 through powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. A stable cubic Ag1−x/2Bi1−x/2SnxSe2 phase can be obtained at room temperature when the value of x is larger than 0.2. In addition, the thermoelectric properties of Ag1−x/2Bi1−x/2SnxSe2 (x = 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35) are investigated, revealing that Ag1−x/2Bi1−x/2SnxSe2 compounds are intrinsic semiconductors with a low lattice thermal conductivity. This work provides new insights into the crystal structure adjustment of AgBiSe2 and shows that Ag1−x/2Bi1−x/2SnxSe2 is a potentially lead-free thermoelectric material candidate.