Enhancing Thermoelectric Performance of AgSbTe-Based Compounds Microstructure Modulation Combining with Entropy Engineering.

Modulation of the microstructure and configurational entropy tuning are the core stratagem for improving thermoelectric performance. However, the correlation of evolution among the preparation methods, chemical composition, structural defects, configurational entropy, and thermoelectric properties is still unclear. Herein, two series of AgSbTe-based compounds were synthesized by an equilibrium melting-slow-cooling method and a nonequilibrium melting-quenching-spark plasma sintering (SPS) method, respectively.

Removing the Oxygen-Induced Donor-like Effect for High Thermoelectric Performance in n-Type BiTe-Based Compounds.

Bismuth telluride-based alloys are the best performing thermoelectric materials near room temperature. Grain size refinement and nanostructuring are the core stratagems for improving thermoelectric and mechanical properties. However, the donor-like effect induced by grain size refinement strongly restricts the thermoelectric properties especially in the vicinity of room temperature.

Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of BiSbTe Nanostructured with CdTe.

Cd-containing polycrystalline BiSbTe samples with precisely controlled phase composition were synthesized by conventional melting-quenching-annealing technique and a melt-spinning method. The pseudo ternary phase diagram for Cd-Bi/Sb-Te in the region near BiSbTe was systematically studied. Cd serves as an acceptor dopant contributing holes, whereas for samples doped with CdTe, the combined effects of the substitution of Sb/Bi with Cd and the formation of Sb/Bi antisite defects leads to the increase in hole concentration.