Enhanced thermoelectric performance of (Ba,In) double-filled skutterudites via randomly arranged micropores
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070 (China)
Porous (Ba,In) double-filled skutterudite materials with pore diameter about 1–4 μm were prepared by the decomposition of metastable ZnSb inclusions induced by the Zn sublimation. Transport measurements revealed that the Seebeck coefficient was increased due to the electron filtering effect induced by nanostructures in the surfaces of pores, the electrical conductivity was almost unchanged because of the percolation effect of conducted network composed of filled skutterudites, and the lattice thermal conductivity was dramatically suppressed due to the enhanced pore-edge boundary scattering of long-wavelength phonons. As a result, a maximum ZT of 1.36 was obtained, increased by 22.5% as compared to that of the bulk material with same chemical composition. This work demonstrates that by introducing porous structures is thought to be an efficient approach to improve the thermoelectric performance of bulk materials.
- OSTI ID:
- 22261563
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 104, Issue 14; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Thermoelectric properties of DC-sputtered filled skutterudite thin film
High thermoelectric performance of In, Yb, Ce multiple filled CoSb{sub 3} based skutterudite compounds