scholarly journals Is LiI a Potential Dopant Candidate to Enhance the Thermoelectric Performance in Sb-Free GeTe Systems? A Prelusive Study

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhuvanesh Srinivasan ◽  
David Berthebaud ◽  
Takao Mori

As a workable substitute for toxic PbTe-based thermoelectrics, GeTe-based materials are emanating as reliable alternatives. To assess the suitability of LiI as a dopant in thermoelectric GeTe, a prelusive study of thermoelectric properties of GeTe1−xLiIx (x = 0–0.02) alloys processed by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) are presented in this short communication. A maximum thermoelectric figure of merit, zT ~ 1.2, was attained at 773 K for 2 mol% LiI-doped GeTe composition, thanks to the combined benefits of a noted reduction in the thermal conductivity and a marginally improved power factor. The scattering of heat carrying phonons due to the presumable formation of Li-induced “pseudo-vacancies” and nano-precipitates contributed to the conspicuous suppression of lattice thermal conductivity, and consequently boosted the zT of the Sb-free (GeTe)0.98(LiI)0.02 sample when compared to that of pristine GeTe and Sb-rich (GeTe)x(LiSbTe2)2 compounds that were reported earlier.

Metals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Alleno

Besides alloying, nanostructuring was implemented to improve the thermoelectric properties in Fe2VAl. This Heusler alloy indeed displays a thermoelectric figure of merit too small for applications (ZT ~ 0.1 at 300 K) which is caused by a large lattice thermal conductivity (λL = 27 W·m−1·K−1 at 300 K). The effect of nanostructuring on the microstructure and on the thermoelectric properties of alloyed Fe2VAl are therefore reviewed. By mechanical alloying followed by spark plasma sintering, the average grain size (D) was decreased to D ~ 300–400 nm in Fe2VAl0.9Si0.1, Fe2VAl0.9Si0.07Sb0.03, Fe2V1.05Al0.95, and Fe2V0.9W0.1Al. As expected, phonon scattering at the numerous grain boundaries lead to a strong decrease in the lattice thermal conductivity, which reached values as small as λL = 3.3 W·m−1·K−1. However, in all the reviewed examples, the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) is only marginally or not even improved when comparing to non-nanostructured samples because the electrical resistivity also increases upon nanostructuring. A significantly improved ZT = 0.3 at 500 K was only recently observed in severely deformed Fe2VAl0.95Ta0.05 by high pressure torsion because the very fine microstructure (D ~ 100 nm) strongly enhanced the thermal conductivity reduction.


2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 837-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinfeng Tang ◽  
Lidong Chen ◽  
Takashi Goto ◽  
Toshio Hirai

Single-phase filled skutterudite compounds, CeyFexCo4−xSb12 (x = 0 to 3.0, y = 0 to 0.74), were synthesized by a melting method. The effects of Fe content and Ce filling fraction on the thermoelectric properties of CeyFexCo4−xSb12 were investigated. The lattice thermal conductivity of Ce-saturated CeyFexCo4−xSb12, y being at the maximum corresponding to x, decreased with increasing Fe content (x) and reached its minimum at about x = 1.5. When x was 1.5, lattice thermal conductivity decreased with increasing Ce filling fraction till y = 0.3 and then began to increase after reaching the minimum at y = 0.3. Hole concentration and electrical conductivity of Cey Fe1.5Co2.5Sb12 decreased with increasing Ce filling fraction. The Seebeck coefficient increased with increasing Ce filling fraction. The greatest dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit T value of 1.1 was obtained at 750 K for the composition of Ce0.28Fe1.52Co2.48Sb12.


2010 ◽  
Vol 1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adul Harnwunggmoung ◽  
Ken Kurosaki ◽  
Hiroaki Muta ◽  
Shinsuke Yamanaka

AbstractCoSb3 is known as a skutterudite compound that could exhibit high thermoelectric figure of merit. However, the thermal conductivity of CoSb3 is relatively high. In order to enhance the thermoelectric performance of this compound, we tried to reduce the thermal conductivity of CoSb3 by substitution of Rh for Co and by Tl-filling into the voids. The polycrystalline samples of (Co,Rh)Sb3 and Tl-filled CoSb3 were prepared and the thermoelectric properties such as the Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity were measured in the temperature range from room temperature to 750 K. The Rh substitution for Co reduced the lattice thermal conductivity, due to the alloy scattering effect. The minimum value of the lattice thermal conductivity was 4 Wm-1K-1 at 750 K obtained for (Co0.7Rh0.3)Sb3. Also the lattice thermal conductivity rapidly decreased with increasing the Tl-filling ratio. T10.25Co4Sb12 exhibited the best ZT values; the maximum ZT was 0.9 obtained at 600 K.


2018 ◽  
Vol 913 ◽  
pp. 811-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Wu ◽  
Ji Ai Ning ◽  
De Gang Zhao ◽  
Xue Zhen Wang ◽  
Na Liu

In this study, nanometer WO3 powder was uniformly dispersed into the Cu2SnSe3 powder by ball milling process, and the WO3/Cu2SnSe3 thermoelectric composite was prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The results showed that the nano-WO3 particles were mainly distributed in the grain boundary of Cu2SnSe3 matrix, and the grain growth of Cu2SnSe3 was inhibited. The addition of nano-WO3 could enhance the electrical conductivity of Cu2SnSe3, and while the Seebeck coefficient increased slightly for the 0.4% WO3/Cu2SnSe3 composite. The thermal conductivity was not decreased until the content of WO3 exceeded 1.6%. The highest thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of 0.177 was achieved at 700 K for 0.4% WO3/Cu2SnSe3 composite. The enhancement of ZT value of WO3/Cu2SnSe3 thermoelectric material was mainly attributed to the improvement of the electrical properties.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (27) ◽  
pp. 7045-7052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyue Li ◽  
Di Li ◽  
Xiaoying Qin ◽  
Xiuhui Yang ◽  
Yongfei Liu ◽  
...  

Owing to enhanced power factor and reduced lattice thermal conductivity through interface scattering, a largest thermoelectric figure of merit ZT = 1.61 is achieved at 467 K for BiSbTe based composite with Cu3SbSe4 nanoinclusions.


RSC Advances ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 3304-3314
Author(s):  
Enamul Haque ◽  
Mizanur Rahaman

Weak anharmonicity: the weak anharmonicity leads to weak phonon scattering in SrGaSnH. Thus, SrGaSnH intrinsically possesses a high lattice thermal conductivity (kl).. Such large κl dramatically reduces the thermoelectric figure of merit.


2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 422-429
Author(s):  
Ji-Hee Pi ◽  
Go-Eun Lee, ◽  
Il-Ho Kim

Permingeatites Cu3Sb1−yGeySe4 (0 ≤ y ≤ 0.14) were synthesized by mechanical alloying and hot pressing. The charge-transport parameters (Hall coefficient, carrier concentration, mobility, and Lorenz number) and thermoelectric properties (electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, power factor, thermal conductivity, and figure of merit) were examined with respect to the Ge doping level. A single permingeatite phase with a tetragonal structure was obtained without subsequent heat treatment, but a small amount of the secondary phase Cu2GeSe3 was found for the specimens with y ≥ 0.08. All hot-pressed compacts exhibited a relative density of 97.5%–98.3%. The lattice constants of the a-axis and c-axis were decreased by the substitution of Ge at the Sb sites. As the Ge content increased, the carrier concentration increased from 5.2 × 1018 to 1.1 × 1020 cm−3, but the mobility decreased from 92 to 25 cm2·V−1·s−1. The Lorenz number of the undoped Cu3SbSe4 implied a non-degenerate semiconductor behavior, ranging from (1.57–1.56) × 10−8 V2·K−2 at 323–623 K. The thermoelectric figure of merit was 0.39 at 623 K, resulting from a power factor of 0.49 mW·m−1·K−2 and a thermal conductivity of 0.76 W·m−1·K−1. However, the Lorenz numbers of the Gedoped specimens indicated degenerate semiconductor characteristics, increasing to (1.63–1.94) × 10−8 V2·K−2 at 323–623 K. The highest thermoelectric figure of merit of 0.65 was at 623 K for Cu3Sb0.86Ge0.14Se4, resulting from the significantly improved power factor of 0.93 mW·m−1·K−2 and the thermal conductivity of 0.89W·m−1·K−1. As a result, the thermoelectric properties were remarkably enhanced by doping Ge into the Sb sites of the permingeatite.


2006 ◽  
Vol 510-511 ◽  
pp. 1070-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Il Ho Kim ◽  
J.B. Park ◽  
Tae Whan Hong ◽  
Soon Chul Ur ◽  
Young Geun Lee ◽  
...  

Zn4Sb3 was successfully produced by a hot pressing technique, and its thermoelectric properties were investigated in the temperature range from 4K to 300K. The Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and thermoelectric figure of merit showed a discontinuity in variation at 242K, indicating the α-Zn4Sb3 to β-Zn4Sb3 phase transformation. Lattice thermal conductivity was found to be dominant in the total thermal conductivity of Zn4Sb3. Therefore, it is expected that thermoelectric properties can be improved by reducing the lattice thermal conductivity inducing phonon scattering centers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 4963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ki Wook Bae ◽  
Jeong Yun Hwang ◽  
Sang-il Kim ◽  
Hyung Mo Jeong ◽  
Sunuk Kim ◽  
...  

Herein we report a significantly reduced lattice thermal conductivity of Sb-doped Hf0.35Zr0.35Ti0.3NiSn half-Heusler alloys with sub-micron grains (grain size of ~300 nm). Polycrystalline bulks of Hf0.35Zr0.35Ti0.3NiSn1−xSbx (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03) with a complete single half-Heusler phase are prepared using temperature-regulated melt spinning and subsequent spark plasma sintering without a long annealing process. In these submicron-grained bulks, a very low lattice thermal conductivity value of ~2.4 W m−1 K−1 is obtained at 300 K due to the intensified phonon scatterings by highly dense grain boundaries and point-defects (Zr and Ti substituted at Hf-sites). A maximum thermoelectric figure of merit, zT, of 0.5 at 800 K is obtained in Hf0.35Zr0.35Ti0.3NiSn0.99Sb0.01.


2014 ◽  
Vol 787 ◽  
pp. 210-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Li ◽  
Jian Liu ◽  
Chun Lei Wang ◽  
Wen Bin Su ◽  
Yuan Hu Zhu ◽  
...  

The thermoelectric properties of Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 ceramics, reduced in various conditions, were investigated in the temperature range from 323K to 1073K. Both the electrical resistivity and the absolute Seebeck coefficient decreased with the deepening degree of oxygen-reduction. However, the decrease of the electrical resistivity had a major influence on the thermoelectric power factor. Therefore, the more heavily reduced sample can gain the higher value of thermoelectric power factor. It has been observed that the thermal conductivity increased with the deepening degree of oxygen-reduction, which indicates that the scattering of the oxygen vacancies produced by reduction does not play a dominant role in the thermal conduction. In spite of the increase of the thermal conductivity, the oxygen-reduction still promoted the thermoelectric figure of merit via the increase of the thermoelectric power factor. And the most heavily reduced Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 ceramic has the highest thermoelectric figure of merit (~0.18 at 1073 K) among all the samples.


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