Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T22:53:26.348Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Electron and Phonon Transport in n- and p-type Skutterudites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2013

Jiong Yang ,
S. Wang ,
Jihui Yang ,
W. Zhang  and
L. Chen
Jiong Yang
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2120, USA
S. Wang
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2120, USA
Jihui Yang*
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2120, USA
W. Zhang
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
L. Chen
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
*
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed, Electronic mail: jihuiy@uw.edu
Get access

Abstract

Filled skutterudites are one of the most promising materials for thermoelectric (TE) power generation applications at intermediate temperatures due to their superior TE and thermomechanical performance as compared to other materials. In the past, we have demonstrated that n-type skutterudites can be optimized so that their maximum TE figure of merit reaches 1.7 at 850 K. TE performance of the p-type, however, is lagging behind, which hinders the optimization of skutterudites-based TE module development. In this paper we reveal that the underlying reasons for inferior TE properties of the p-type root in their electronic band structures, which result in higher thermal conductivity at elevated temperatures due to bipolar lattice thermal conduction and lower power factor because of heavy valance bands induced strong electron-phonon interactions. We also identify means of improving the power factor and reducing bipolar effect.

Keywords

thermoelectricelectronic structurethermal conductivity
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1490: Symposium B – Thermoelectric Materials Research and Device Development for Power Conversion and Refrigeration , 2013 , pp. 9 - 18
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Tritt, T. M. and Subramanian, M. A., MRS Bulletin 31, 188 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uher, C., Semiconductors and semimetals, in Recent Trends in Thermoelectric Materials Research I, Vol 69, edited by Tritt, T. M. (Acamedic, San Diego, 2001), pp. 139–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shi, X., Zhang, W., Chen, L., and Yang, J., Physical Review Letter 95, 185503 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolas, G., Slack, G., Morelli, D., Tritt, T., and Ehrlich, A., Journal of Applied Physics 79, 4002 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sales, B., Mandrus, D., Chakoumakos, B., Keppens, V., and Thompson, J., Physical Review B 56, 15081 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolas, G., Cohn, J., and Slack, G., Physical Review B 58, 164 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolas, G., Kaeser, M., Littleton, R., and Tritt, T., Applied Physics Letters 77, 1855 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamberton, G., Bhattacharya, S., Littleton, R., Kaeser, M., Tedstrom, R., Tritt, T., Yang, J., and Nolas, G., Applied Physics Letters 80, 598 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Puyet, M., Lenoir, B., Dauscher, A., Dehmas, M., Stiewe, C., and Müller, E., Journal of Applied Physics 95, 4852 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pei, Y. Z., Chen, L. D., Zhang, W., Shi, X., Bai, S. Q., Zhao, X. Y., Mei, Z. G., and Li, X. Y., Applied Physics Letters 89, 221107 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mei, Z., Yang, J., Pei, Y., Zhang, W., Chen, L., and Yang, J., Physical Review B 77, 045202 (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xi, L., Yang, J., Zhang, W., Chen, L., and Yang, J., Journal of the American Chemical Society 131, 5560 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, Jiong, Xi, L., Zhang, W., Chen, L., and Yang, Jihui, J. Electronic Materials 38, 1397 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shi, X., Kong, H., Li, C.-P., Uher, C., Yang, J., Salvador, J. R., Wang, H., Chen, L., and Zhang, W., Applied Physics Letters 92, 182101 (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bai, S. Q., Pei, Y. Z., Chen, L. D., Zhang, W. Q., Zhao, X. Y., and Yang, J., Acta Materialia 57, 3135 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salvador, J. R., Yang, J., Wang, H., and Shi, X., Journal of Applied Physics 107, 043705 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shi, X., Yang, J., Salvador, J. R., Chi, M. F., Cho, J. Y., Wang, H., Bai, S. Q., Yang, J. H., Zhang, W. Q., and Chen, L. D., Journal of the American Chemical Society 133, 7837 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sales, B. C., Mandrus, D., and Williams, R. K., Science 272, 1325 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mandrus, V. D., Sales, B., Chakoumakos, B., Dai, P., Coldea, R., Maple, M., Gajewski, D., Freeman, E., and Bennington, S., Nature 395, 876 (1998).Google Scholar
Hermann, R. P., Jin, R., Schweika, W., Grandjean, F., Mandrus, D., Sales, B. C., and Long, G. J., Physical Review Letters 90, 135505 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, J., Zhang, W., Bai, S. Q., Mei, Z., and Chen, L. D., Applied Physics Letters 90, 192111 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cahill, D. G., Watson, S. K., and Pohl, R. O., Physical Review B 46, 6131 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, J., Qiu, P., Liu, R., Xi, L., Zheng, S., Zhang, W., Chen, L., Singh, D., and Yang, J., Physical Review B 84, 235205 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, B., Xu, J. H., Uher, C., Morelli, D. T., Meisner, G. P., Fleurial, J. P., Caillat, T., and Borshchevsky, A., Physical Review B 55, 1476 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tang, X., Zhang, Q., Chen, L., Goto, T., and Hirai, T., Journal of Applied Physics 97, 093712 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, Q. M., Zhang, J. X., Zhang, X., Liu, Y. Q., Liu, D. M., and Zhou, M. L., J. Appl. Phys. 98, 106107 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qiu, P. F., Yang, J., Liu, R. H., Shi, X., Huang, X. Y., Snyder, G.J., Zhang, W., and Chen, L. D., Journal of Applied Physics 109, 063713 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, R., Yang, J., Chen, X., Shi, X., Chen, L., and Uher, C., Intermetallics 19, 1747 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qiu, P. F., Liu, R. H., Yang, J., Shi, X., Huang, X. Y., Zhang, W., Chen, L. D., Yang, Jihui, and Singh, D. J., Journal of Applied Physics 111, 023705 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogl, G., Grytsiv, A., Rogl, P., Bauer, E., Kerber, M., Zehetbauer, M., and Puchegger, S., Intermetallics 18, 2435 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogl, G., Grytsiv, A., Rogl, P., Bauer, E., and Zehetbauer, M., Intermetallics 19, 546 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pei, Y. Z., Bai, S. Q., Zhao, X. Y., Zhang, W., and Chen, L. D., Solid State Sciences 10, 1422 (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, L. D., Kawahara, T., Tang, X. F., Goto, T., Hirai, T., Dyck, J. S., Chen, W., and Uher, C., Journal of Applied Physics 90, 1864 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pei, Y. Z., Yang, Jiong, Chen, L. D., Zhang, W., Salvador, J. R., and Yang, Jihui, Applied Physics Letters 95, 042101 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ziman, J. M., Electrons and Phonons, (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1960), p. 433.Google Scholar
Yang, Jiong, Liu, R., Chen, Z., Xi, L., Yang, Jihui, Zhang, W., and Chen, L., Applied Physics Letters 101, 022101 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, R., Qiu, P., Chen, X., Huang, X., and Chen, L., Journal of Material Research 26, 1814 (2011).Google Scholar
Price, P., Philosophical Magazine 46, 1252 (1955).Google Scholar
Goldsmid, H., Proceedings of the Physical Society. Section B 69, 203 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, S. et al. ., unpublished.Google Scholar
Goldsmid, H., Thermoelectric refrigeration, Plenum press, Chap. 2, p38.Google Scholar
Singh, D. J., Semiconductors and semimetals, in Recent Trends in Thermoelectric Materials Research II, Vol 70, edited by Tritt, T. M. (Acamedic, San Diego, 2001), pp. 125–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ioffe, A. F., Semiconductor Thermoelements and Thermoelectric Cooling, (Infosearch Limited Press, London, 1957), p. 49.Google Scholar
Poudel, B., Hao, Q., Ma, Y., Lan, Y., Minnich, A., Yu, B., Yan, X., Wang, D., Muto, A., and Vashaee, D., Science 320, 634 (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, S., Xie, W., Li, H., and Tang, X., Intermetallics 19, 1024 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar